Not too surprising. Automakers are in the business of selling new vehicles; certainly not upgrading existing older vehicles.
If a consumer desires a product with all the bells & whistles and performance–buy new.
This is a fact of life, be the product is a cellphone, washer or dryer, refrigerator, laptop etc.
Unfortunately Tesla has delivered millions of vehicles with HW3, which it said would all be capable of self-driving, and hundreds of thousands of those vehicle owners bought the FSD package.
It’s a mess.
Oh yeah. I foresee a class action lawsuit.
four months after it finally admitted that the hardware won’t support self-driving.
At this point, the automaker is just hoping they buy new cars.
4 strategic imperatives Musk has right now. JMVHO. #1 - produce enough parts available and open to (interested, trained) 3rd parties so that it doesn’t take months to get small collisions fixed. #2 - get the Model 2 or the “ier” whatever - the cheaper $25K model - into production. #3 - table fully autonomous self drive (FSD). It has run hard into the law of diminishing returns. Billions of dollars in development, two or three complete ground up recodes and it’s very, very good - but it’s software. #4 - Kill the Cybertruck and do something like a Rivian.
The Tesla app for my 2020 Model Y HW3 says I can upgrade to the HW4 for $1,500 including installation. It might cost an additional $500 if I have an older Version 2.0 Autopilot Computer.
I"m ready to put my vehicle into Robotaxi service as soon as the Administration issues Federal rules allowing unsupervised FSD nationwide, in return for Elon not badmouthing the 'Big Beautiful Bill". {{ LOL }}
Where in the app does it show that? Can you post a screenshot? Thanks in advance! I’ve seen others mention the upgrade, but it doesn’t show in my app for my HW3 vehicle!
{{ Owners of compatible vehicles can schedule an appointment through the Tesla app for purchase and installation. This upgrade is available for $2,000 plus applicable tax, including installation, for vehicles equipped with Autopilot Computer 2.0 or 2.5 and for $1,500 plus applicable tax, including installation, for all other vehicles. Owners may confirm Autopilot Computer type by selecting ‘Controls’ > ‘Software’ > ‘Additional Vehicle Information’ on the touchscreen. }}
I haven’t checked my vehicle yet to see if I have Autopilot Computer 2.0 or 2.5.
The Uber platform that Tesla is planning on using covers insurance. The Direct Tesla Ride App alternative would also include insurance in the cost of the ride.
Same thing with an ICE Uber ride share today. Uber Corporate is insuring my ride, not the 3rd-world immigrant behind the wheel.
This link appears to refer only to model S and model X vehicles.
Owners of Model S and Model X built March 2018 or earlier are eligible to purchase an Infotainment Upgrade, enabling access to some of our favorite features like video streaming and an expanded Tesla Arcade, in addition to a more responsive and faster touchscreen experience.
I don’t have it either for my HW3 Model Y, purchased December 2021. It may be significant that I am one of those who paid the $15k for FSD. If they offer the free upgrade to all of us who already paid they are likely to be overwhelmed. Offering it to everyone else for $1.5k might give them some experience in performing the upgrade, and give them a basis for managing the demand.
You might want to wait until they offer level 5 before you upgrade if you intend to use your car as a taxi - as the HW4 software on older models will absolutely not be sufficient to turn it into a level 5 vehicle. At a minimum, the 2020 model doesn’t have sufficient cameras.
Of course I’m going to wait. There are class action lawsuits underway to bring all Teslas up to the required hardware package to run FSD – not just those where the owner paid $8,000 to $15,000 for a “lifetime” FSD subscription.
The other point of note is that these Large Language Models continue to improve once they’ve reached their goal (i.e., unsupervised FSD) by streamlining the code and using less processing power to achieve the desired results. If AI5 is required initially for FSD, it may well be that the code will improve and HW4 & HW3 would also support unsupervised FSD.
We saw this about 6 months ago when Chinese researchers created a state-of-the-art Chat GPT that ran on older versions of the NVIDIA processor.
Tesla has a “showroom” at our local upscale mall; took over a Sears Auto Center. Quite a draw at the time.
Was at the mall tonight and drove past it. I commented a month ago about the row of Cybertrucks lined up. They’ve got a half dozen now hidden behind the building, and the row has grown by a few. For that matter, lots more cars in the parking lot around it although it’s possible those are just customer cars in for um, a checkup?
