Musk's update met with cheers by HW3, groans for HW4 Tesla owners

29 August 2023

The world of Tesla is like a roller coaster that only goes up, except for when it doesn't. Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla and part-time Twitter (or should we say, X) philosopher, has once again taken to social media to share updates on Tesla's Full Self-Driving (FSD) software. This time, the news is a mixed bag. If you own a Tesla with Hardware 3 (HW3), you're probably doing a happy dance. But if you've got the latest and greatest, Hardware 4 (HW4), well, maybe sit down for this one.

HW4 is Tesla's newest suite of Autopilot and self-driving sensors, complete with a shiny new FSD computer. This hardware comes with added radar and new cameras, making it the belle of the self-driving ball. Or so we thought. While Tesla has been promising the moon and stars with its self-driving technology, many owners of HW3-equipped Teslas have been left wondering when their cars will finally get the features they were promised.

Musk, ever the soother of anxieties (or not), has tried to quell these fears by reiterating Tesla's commitment to HW3. In his latest social media proclamation, he stated that Tesla's focus would be on making FSD work "super well" on HW3 vehicles. So, if you're an HW3 owner, you can breathe a sigh of relief. Your car hasn't been left in the technological dust. Yet.

Now, what about the HW4 owners? Here's where the news gets a bit, let's say, less exciting. According to Musk, the software for HW4 will lag behind HW3 by at least six months. Why? Because Tesla wants to focus on getting HW3 up to snuff first. So if you've invested in a brand-new Tesla, complete with HW4, you're going to have to wait a bit longer for those cool self-driving features.

Now, Musk has a history of, how shall we put it, optimistic timelines. He's claimed that Tesla will achieve this "super well" level of functioning on HW3 by the end of the year. But let's take that with a grain of salt, shall we? After all, we've been down this road before (pun intended).

If you're an HW3 owner, you're in luck. Your older hardware is getting the VIP treatment, at least for the next six months. If you're an HW4 owner, well, patience is a virtue. And let's not forget, HW5 and HW6 are probably already in the works, because the future waits for no one, not even Tesla.

In the grand scheme of things, a six-month delay might not seem like a big deal, especially when the software is already years behind schedule. But in the fast-paced world of tech, six months can feel like an eternity. So whether you're celebrating or sighing at Musk's latest update, one thing's for sure: the Tesla saga continues

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