Tesla promises free HW4 upgrade retrofits if it can't make HW3 vehicles run unsupervised FSD

According to Elon Musk, FSD Hardware 3.0 kits can actually be upgraded to the more powerful Hardware 4.0 set of processing power.

In fact, Tesla will have to do just that if it is unable to make HW3 computers run the unsupervised FSD edition that it has scheduled for release next year.

During the Q3 earnings call, Elon Musk promised free HW4 retrofits for older Tesla vehicles on HW3 kits if it turns out that they can't run the unsupervised FSD that is likely coming with the v13 update edition.

Elon only made the comment after Tesla's newly minted AI chief Ashok Elluswamy mentioned that FSD 13 and its unsupervised version will first be brought to newer vehicles on HW4, then "backwarded" to HW3 cars.

The reason that Tesla will be releasing upcoming FSD versions for Hardware 4.0 vehicles first is that their computers are several times more capable to run the increasingly complex AI calculations involved.

Hardware 4 has really several times the capability of Hardware 3. It's easier to get things to work with, then it takes a lot of effort to sort of squeeze that box analysis at Hardware 3. And there is some chance that Hardware 3 is - does not achieve the safety level that allows for unsupervised FSD... And if that turns out to be the case, we will upgrade those who bought hardware 3 FSD for free [as] we have designed the system to be upgradable.

In fact, Tesla seems to have already explored that idea, and Elon is of the opinion that simply swapping out the HW3 computer with the faster HW4 unit would be enough to make unsupervised FSD run on older vehicles. The cameras, according to him, are "capable" enough, so there will be no need to change those.

Tesla did something similar with the current FSD v12.5, releasing it for HW4 vehicles first, then rewriting the code to emulate it for the processing power in HW3 cars. The unsupervised FSD version, however, will likely be way more demanding in terms of safety requirements, so if older computers can't run it, "we'll make sure we take care of those who have bought FSD on Hardware 3," promised Elon.

Previous Hardware 4.0 teardowns concluded that the set can't be easily retrofitted to Hardware 3.0 vehicles, but if Tesla only needs to change the computer to make future FSD versions run on its older cars, that might be doable with a simple service center visit.

Unsupervised FSD is only scheduled for release in Texas and California next year, though, and then it will roll out on a state-by-state basis depending on regulatory permits, so Tesla will have plenty of time to make HW3 vehicle owners whole.

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