Musk pledges to repair 2019-2023 Teslas that may’t totally self drive

Tesla nonetheless doesn’t have a strong pathway for easy methods to give {Hardware} 3 automobiles Full Self-Driving (FSD) capabilities, primarily based on what Elon Musk mentioned through the firm’s latest earnings call. The automaker has identified for fairly some time that its autos outfitted with {Hardware} 3 aren’t able to unsupervised FSD, despite the fact that the corporate constructed the system particularly to give its cars the ability. Tesla used {Hardware} 3 on automobiles manufactured from 2019 till early 2023 earlier than {Hardware} 4 shipped.

Throughout an earlier earnings name again in January 2025, Musk admitted that the corporate was “going to should improve folks’s {Hardware} 3 laptop for those who have purchased Full Self-Driving.” At Tesla’s newest earnings name, Musk mentioned that {Hardware} 3 “merely doesn’t have the aptitude to realize unsupervised FSD.” Tesla thought it will be capable to at one level, however {Hardware} 3 apparently has 1/eighth the reminiscence bandwidth of {Hardware} 4. Musk defined that reminiscence bandwidth is “one of many key parts” wanted for unsupervised FSD.

Tesla might be providing to improve and change the computer systems and cameras on older autos, nevertheless it doesn’t have a concrete plan in place but. “I do assume over time it’s going to make sense for us to transform all {Hardware} 3 automobiles to {Hardware} 4,” he mentioned. To take action at service facilities could be extraordinarily gradual, Musk has admitted. Round 4 million cars or so have {Hardware} 3, although not everybody has paid for FSD. Nonetheless, to have the ability to change its autos’ {hardware} effectively, Musk mentioned Tesla goes to should arrange “microfactories or small factories in main metropolitan areas.” He didn’t give any indication that Tesla has already began constructing these microfactories, although, and even that building is already scheduled to start. He did say that within the meantime, the corporate goes to be releasing FSD model 14 for {Hardware} 3 across the finish of June.

Musk additionally mentioned throughout the identical earnings name that Tesla’s Fremont manufacturing unit will begin manufacturing the corporate’s humanoid Optimus robots in late July or August. The Tesla CEO is thought for saying extremely optimistic and aggressive timelines. Tesla made the choice to kill off its Mannequin X and S automobiles earlier this yr, in order that it might convert its Fremont facility into an Optimus manufacturing unit. The final Mannequin S and X autos might be rolling off the production line in Might, which provides the corporate only a few months to dismantle the power’s present tools and put new ones in place.