“It’s going to be painful and tough”: Elon Musk Admits Major Tesla Tech Failure
The latest development in Tesla’s long pursuit of true autonomous driving has drawn significant attention. For nearly nine years, Tesla buyers have been promised that full self-driving was just within reach—always “almost ready” or “almost here.”
However, this year Elon Musk acknowledged that those expectations won’t be met as originally promised. Owners who paid premium prices for the Full Self-Driving (FSD) feature may not get what they anticipated.
Hardware 3 Upgrade Admission
In a January conference call with Tesla’s top shareholders, Musk revealed a critical issue: vehicles with Tesla’s Hardware 3 computer must undergo a complete upgrade to support the new version of the autonomous-driving software under development. This marked a major shift in the company’s approach.
“We’re going to have to upgrade the Hardware 3 computer for people who bought Full Self-Driving. It’s going to be painful and difficult, but we’re going to do it.”
Unexpected Grounding from Optimistic CEO
Known for his bold optimism, Musk’s confession was notably more realistic and grounded, signaling the challenges ahead for Tesla and its customers.
Summary
Nearly a decade of promises about Tesla's full self-driving capabilities face a setback as Musk confirms a costly upgrade is needed, highlighting the roadblocks in delivering autonomous driving.