Elon Musk Says Tesla’s Self-Driving Hardware May Not Enable Full Autonomy

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has expressed doubt that current Tesla models equipped with the HW3 “self-driving” computer will achieve true autonomous driving. Despite Musk’s earlier promises that Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (FSD) package would enable unsupervised autonomy, he now suggests that a hardware upgrade to the newer HW4 system may be required. Musk’s recent comments during Tesla’s Q3 earnings call confirmed that the newer HW4 has significantly more processing power than HW3, making it easier to operate advanced FSD capabilities.

This news may disappoint Tesla owners who paid for FSD with the expectation of future upgrades. Musk, however, reassured customers that those with the HW3-based FSD package would receive a free upgrade to HW4, although integrating the new hardware could be technically challenging due to differences in power and camera setups. Despite Musk’s optimism, it’s unclear whether HW4 alone will ultimately support fully autonomous driving, a goal he has promoted for over a decade.

The announcement adds to concerns about Tesla’s reliance on camera-only vision systems, which critics argue is a disadvantage compared to LIDAR-equipped competitors. Musk stated that unsupervised FSD would debut in Texas and California on Model 3 and Model Y vehicles by next year, though regulatory hurdles may still delay deployment on public roads.

Musk’s acknowledgment raises questions about Tesla’s long-standing promises of self-driving capabilities, leaving Tesla enthusiasts hopeful but uncertain about a fully autonomous future.