For almost nine years, Elon Musk has asserted that Tesla vehicles possess the necessary hardware for self-driving capabilities. This week, he acknowledged that many do not.
During a conference call on Wednesday night, Musk revealed that Tesla cars outfitted with the so-called Hardware 3 will require an upgrade to facilitate the unsupervised self-driving software that the company is currently developing. These Hardware 3 models, produced from 2019 to 2023, come equipped with an earlier version of the computer that operates Tesla’s “Full Self-Driving (Supervised)” driver assistance system.
“The honest truth is that we will need to enhance the Hardware 3 computers for those who purchased Full Self-Driving,” he stated. “This process will be challenging and uncomfortable, but we will see it through.”
This revelation comes as no surprise to those who have closely followed the company’s developments.
Historically, Musk has consistently overpromised regarding Tesla’s timeline for releasing a vehicle capable of complete autonomy without human intervention. The company has repeatedly walked back its 2016 statement that every car being manufactured was outfitted with the necessary hardware to eventually drive itself autonomously at the flip of a switch—a commitment that has been pivotal to Tesla’s valuation for years. (This claim was later removed from Tesla’s website.)
Tesla made that assertion in October 2016, shortly after its split from Mobileye, the supplier of its original Autopilot driver assistance hardware. The initial in-house hardware, referenced in the 2016 statement, was termed “Hardware 2.0.” A year later, Tesla began integrating a “Hardware 2.5” version.
Neither of these iterations proved sufficient, which was evident when Tesla began delivering cars equipped with a “Hardware 3” system in 2019, prompting older hardware owners to upgrade in order to access the supervised Full Self-Driving software. Initially, Tesla charged for these upgrades, but after one customer took legal action, a judge ruled that Tesla’s 2016 promise constituted “false advertising” and mandated that the upgrades should be free.
Tesla has now transitioned to manufacturing vehicles with “Hardware 4” systems, leading some owners to wonder about the implications for those with Hardware 3. Musk and other Tesla leaders have previously expressed confidence in their ability to develop software for Hardware 3 to facilitate autonomous driving; however, Musk admitted on Wednesday that he had ultimately abandoned that belief.
His remarks on Wednesday only serve to highlight the inaccuracies in Tesla’s assertions made in 2016.
At that time, Musk was assertive and resistant, even alleging that negative media coverage was “endangering lives” by discouraging the use of autonomous vehicles. “You effectively dissuade people from using an autonomous vehicle,” he claimed during a 2016 conference call, at a time when fully autonomous cars were not yet a reality.
In contrast, Waymo now operates a commercial robotaxi service in several cities.
Musk stated on Wednesday that Tesla aims to demonstrate its capabilities with a pilot program set for launch in Austin next June. He also hopes to roll out a software update for vehicles with the newer “Hardware 4” that would allow them to drive autonomously. Due to these developments, Musk claimed that 2025 could potentially be “the most significant year in Tesla’s history.”
Compiled by Techarena.au.
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