Tesla releases FSD 14 Lite to HW3 Model Y instead of robotaxi retrofit

After more than a year of shoehorning the FSD 14 code, Tesla has finally released the latest version of its self-driving software to its vast fleet of older vehicles with HW3 computers.

The RAM amount in those is nowhere near enough to run AI compute for a full-fledged set of FSD 14 features, so Tesla is releasing the rumored FSD 14 Lite version, calling it exactly that.

FSD 14 Lite features on HW3 Teslas

Needless to say, the FSD 14 Lite fork rolling out to Tesla's HW3 cars has more limited capabilities than the FSD v14.3.4 that its newer HW4 (AI4) vehicles boast and can't run unsupervised.

Tesla's AI chief calls this "distilled" HW4 capabilities, but the company stops short of claiming that HW3 cars will get the same FSD 14 experience as HW4 cars enjoy in the FSD 14 Lite release notes:

• Introduced parking, unparking, and reversing capabilities. Added Arrival Options for you to select where FSD should park: in a Parking Lot, on the Street, in a Driveway, or at the Curbside.
• Speed Profiles are now available at all times, to further customize driving style preference.
• Improved general comfort in nominal scenarios through fewer false slowdowns, smoother steering and more consistent lane centering.
• Improved both proactive and reactive responsiveness across a wide variety of categories including navigation handling, merges and forks, pedestrian interactions, traffic lights, and vehicle cut-in scenarios.

FSD 14 Lite price and HW4 retrofits

Unfortunately, this doesn't sound as if HW3 vehicle owners will be able to add their cars to Tesla's robotaxi fleet as was originally promised to them when they were spending many thousands to purchase the FSD option. Elon Musk then claimed that Tesla will retrofit HW4 computers and cameras in all HW3 cars and said that it may set up dedicated factories in major cities to do that.

Instead of HW4 retrofits, however, HW3 vehicle buyers are now getting a less capable FSD 14 Lite version that may, on top of that, nix the speed controls they are used to. Tesla may still fulfill its promise to do HW4 retrofits to older HW3 cars, provided that their owners wish to loan their cars as robotaxis, as it would then have a better financial incentive to do so.

As for the FSD 14 Lite price, Ashok Elluswamy mentioned that this is still a limited rollout to early-access customers. The FSD 14 vs FSD 14 Lite subscription price difference, if any, should then become clear in the next few weeks after a wider rollout.

There have been rumors that Tesla plans to introduce a multi-tier FSD subscription with a cheaper FSD 14 Lite monthly fee for HW3 vehicle owners. The more expensive subscription would be for those, say, driving a 2026 Model Y who'd want to add the SUV to Tesla's robotaxi fleet if and when that option becomes available.

In any case, it would make sense that HW3 vehicles would pay less for the neutered FSD 14 Lite version that is now rolling out, as they were promised something different than what they are now getting.

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