Tesla Starts Hardware 3.0 Retrofits For Vehicles Equipped With Hardware 2.0

Featured Image Credit: Tesla

Tesla is reportedly starting Hardware 3.0 retrofits for Model S and Model X that are equipped with the company’s Hardware 2.0 computer. The initiative stands as yet another sign of Tesla’s push to expand the rollout of its Full Self-Driving features, which are expected to achieve their “feature-complete” form in the near future. 

As noted in a recent video from YouTube’s Dirty Tesla channel, the electric car maker has started offering HW3.0 upgrades to HW2.0 vehicles. This is a notable update, considering that Hardware 3.0 retrofits have previously been focused on Model S, Model X, and Model 3 that are fitted with Hardware 2.5. 

To get a clear view of this recent development, it is pertinent to discuss the evolution of Tesla’s Autopilot and Full Self-Driving computer. Following the company’s split with MobileEye, Tesla rolled out vehicles that were equipped with Hardware 2.0. At this time, the company also introduced Enhanced Autopilot as a $5,000 option and the Full Self-Driving suite for an additional $3,000.  

Similar to FSD today, Tesla’s Full Self-Driving suite was sold based on the prospect of owners eventually receiving autonomous driving features as they become available in the future. This system was pretty much followed until the release of the Model 3, which shipped with Hardware 2.5. Hardware 2.5’s improvements over Hardware 2.0 were subtle, such as the introduction of an updated radar and different filters for the vehicles’ cameras. 

But HW2.5 was not the end-all and be-all for Tesla’s FSD efforts. The company opted to develop its own autonomous driving computer in-house, and the result of this was the emergence of Hardware 3.0, a computer that’s arguably the most well-rounded autonomous driving unit in the market today. Today, all vehicles are equipped with Tesla’s HW3.0 computer, which explains Elon Musk’s statements during Autonomy Day last year when he stated that Tesla would eventually have a million vehicles in its fleet that are Robotaxi-capable. 

With HW2.0 to HW3.0 upgrades now starting, Tesla would likely be able to focus more on rolling out more robust features of its Full Self-Driving suite. This should help the company gather more real-world driving data, which should allow the electric car maker’s Neural Network to be trained more effectively. Ultimately, Tesla’s decision to start Hardware 3.0 retrofits on Hardware 2.0 vehicles bodes well for a serious push of the company's autonomous driving efforts.