Although Telsa’s next-generation self-driving computer, known as Hardware 4, hasn’t been formally introduced by the company, people are already wondering if they’ll be able to upgrade their current cars with the new technology. Unfortunately, the short answer is no, according to Tesla CEO Elon Musk.
Musk made the revelation on the Tesla Q4 and Full year 2022 Financial Results and Q&A Webcast this week. During the audio-only conference call, a retailer investor asked the CEO if there would be an upgrade path for Hardware 3 cars to Hardware 4. Musk gave two primary reasons for the lack of upgradeability.
According to Musk, the first reason is that the difference in self-driving performance between Hardware 3 and Hardware 4 wouldn’t be significant enough to warrant the upgrade. Musk explained that although Hardware 4 is superior to Hardware 3, the existing version of the software is still much safer than a human driver. He cited an example of a Telsa equipped with Hardware 4 being 500% to 600% safer than a human driver; Hardware 3 would still be 200% or 300%. The second reason Musk cited was the costly nature of upgrading a Tesla’s hardware, which he characterized as “quite significant.”
Hardware 4 is expected to come equipped on Tesla’s Cybertruck, which goes into production later this year.
Source: Drive Tesla Canada