FSD hardware limits
What happened
- Tesla confirmed FSD v15 will run on new Hardware 4 vehicle computers, the company said. - It also acknowledged Hardware 3 cars cannot achieve unsupervised FSD without physical upgrades or a discounted trade-in program. - That shifts autonomy from an over-the-air software promise to a hardware replacement conversation for many owners. (notateslaapp.com) (teslarati.com)
Why it matters
Tesla has now said the next big Full Self-Driving software, v15, will run on Hardware 4 cars — and Hardware 3 cars will not reach unsupervised driving without new hardware. (notateslaapp.com) (teslarati.com) In Tesla’s April 22, 2026 first-quarter earnings update, the company said it is still selling FSD as a supervised driver-assist product, while Chief Executive Elon Musk used the call to draw a line between the newer Hardware 4 computer and the older Hardware 3 system. (ir.tesla.com) (assets-ir.tesla.com) (teslarati.com) Tesla’s own shorthand is confusing if you have not followed the chip changes: Hardware 3 is the in-car computer Tesla began shipping in 2019, and Hardware 4, also called AI4, is the newer computer in current vehicles. The computer is the car’s on-board brain, processing camera feeds and running the driving model in real time. (teslarati.com) (notateslaapp.com) For years, Tesla sold Full Self-Driving on many Hardware 3 cars with the claim that the vehicles had the hardware needed for autonomy. Musk had already signaled in January 2025 that some Hardware 3 cars might need retrofits, but this week’s call turned that possibility into a stated limit. (teslarati.com) (notebookcheck.net) The immediate practical split is software. Not a Tesla App reported that v15 is targeted for late 2026 or early 2027 on Hardware 4, while Teslarati reported that Tesla’s Autopilot chief Ashok Elluswamy said a “V14-lite” build for Hardware 3 is planned for late June 2026. (notateslaapp.com) (teslarati.com) Tesla is also putting a date on unsupervised consumer rollout again. Teslarati said Musk described unsupervised FSD for personal vehicles as a gradual, geography-limited launch starting no earlier than the fourth quarter of 2026, and Electrek separately reported the same timing from the earnings call. (teslarati.com) (electrek.co) That leaves Hardware 3 owners in a different conversation than newer buyers. Instead of waiting for an over-the-air software update alone, they are now looking at either a physical computer-and-camera retrofit or a discounted trade-in path, according to Teslarati’s account of the call. (teslarati.com) The technical reason Tesla gave is capacity. Multiple reports from the April 22 call said Musk argued Hardware 3 lacks the capability for unsupervised FSD and pointed to Hardware 4’s much higher memory bandwidth as a key advantage for larger driving models. (stocktwits.com) (msn.com) Tesla’s April 22 shareholder update did not lay out prices or a formal retrofit policy for Hardware 3 owners. That means the next test is not whether Tesla can describe the gap, but whether it publishes specific upgrade terms for customers who bought FSD on older cars. (assets-ir.tesla.com) (teslarati.com)
Key numbers
- Tesla confirmed FSD v15 will run on new Hardware 4 vehicle computers, the company said.
- It also acknowledged Hardware 3 cars cannot achieve unsupervised FSD without physical upgrades or a discounted trade-in program.
- (notateslaapp.com) (teslarati.com) Tesla has now said the next big Full Self-Driving software, v15, will run on Hardware 4 cars — and Hardware 3 cars will not reach unsupervised driving without new hardware.
- (teslarati.com) (notateslaapp.com) For years, Tesla sold Full Self-Driving on many Hardware 3 cars with the claim that the vehicles had the hardware needed for autonomy.
What happens next
- Tesla has now said the next big Full Self-Driving software, v15, will run on Hardware 4 cars — and Hardware 3 cars will not reach unsupervised driving without new hardware.
- Teslarati said Musk described unsupervised FSD for personal vehicles as a gradual, geography-limited launch starting no earlier than the fourth quarter of 2026, and Electrek separately reported the same timing from the earnings call.
- That means the next test is not whether Tesla can describe the gap, but whether it publishes specific upgrade terms for customers who bought FSD on older cars.
Quick answers
What happened in FSD hardware limits?
Tesla confirmed FSD v15 will run on new Hardware 4 vehicle computers, the company said. It also acknowledged Hardware 3 cars cannot achieve unsupervised FSD without physical upgrades or a discounted trade-in program. That shifts autonomy from an over-the-air software promise to a hardware replacement conversation for many owners. (notateslaapp.com) (teslarati.com)
Why does FSD hardware limits matter?
Tesla has now said the next big Full Self-Driving software, v15, will run on Hardware 4 cars — and Hardware 3 cars will not reach unsupervised driving without new hardware. (notateslaapp.com) (teslarati.com) In Tesla’s April 22, 2026 first-quarter earnings update, the company said it is still selling FSD as a supervised driver-assist product, while Chief Executive Elon Musk used the call to draw a line between the newer Hardware 4 computer and the older Hardware 3 system. (ir.tesla.com) (assets-ir.tesla.com) (teslarati.com) Tesla’s own shorthand is confusing if you have not followed the chip changes: Hardware 3 is the in-car computer Tesla began shipping in 2019, and Hardware 4, also called AI4, is the newer computer in current vehicles. The computer is the car’s on-board brain, processing camera feeds and running the driving model in real time. (teslarati.com) (notateslaapp.com) For years, Tesla sold Full Self-Driving on many Hardware 3 cars with the claim that the vehicles had the hardware needed for autonomy. Musk had already signaled in January 2025 that some Hardware 3 cars might need retrofits, but this week’s call turned that possibility into a stated limit. (teslarati.com) (notebookcheck.net) The immediate practical split is software. Not a Tesla App reported that v15 is targeted for late 2026 or early 2027 on Hardware 4, while Teslarati reported that Tesla’s Autopilot chief Ashok Elluswamy said a “V14-lite” build for Hardware 3 is planned for late June 2026. (notateslaapp.com) (teslarati.com) Tesla is also putting a date on unsupervised consumer rollout again. Teslarati said Musk described unsupervised FSD for personal vehicles as a gradual, geography-limited launch starting no earlier than the fourth quarter of 2026, and Electrek separately reported the same timing from the earnings call. (teslarati.com) (electrek.co) That leaves Hardware 3 owners in a different conversation than newer buyers. Instead of waiting for an over-the-air software update alone, they are now looking at either a physical computer-and-camera retrofit or a discounted trade-in path, according to Teslarati’s account of the call. (teslarati.com) The technical reason Tesla gave is capacity. Multiple reports from the April 22 call said Musk argued Hardware 3 lacks the capability for unsupervised FSD and pointed to Hardware 4’s much higher memory bandwidth as a key advantage for larger driving models. (stocktwits.com) (msn.com) Tesla’s April 22 shareholder update did not lay out prices or a formal retrofit policy for Hardware 3 owners. That means the next test is not whether Tesla can describe the gap, but whether it publishes specific upgrade terms for customers who bought FSD on older cars. (assets-ir.tesla.com) (teslarati.com)
