Tesla has announced an upcoming Full Self-Driving (FSD) update for vehicles equipped with Hardware 3 (HW3/AI3), however this update will not be the highly anticipated v13 release.
Tesla owners with AI3 self-driving computers have been feeling a little left out in 2024. For much of the year the number of FSD updates for these cars has been slim, as significant effort has been required to optimize newer FSD versions for the “older” hardware compared to the current HW4/AI4 computers.
That feeling has been amplified recently with the release of FSD v13, which by all accounts has been a substantial update with significantly improved driving behaviours, and new capabilities. However, FSD v13, now up to v13.2.1 as of this past weekend, has been limited to AI4 cars, with Tesla remaining silent on when this version might make its way to AI3 cars.
While we still don’t know the answer to that question, we know it won’t be this year. Ashok Elluswamy, Tesla’s Autopilot program lead, shared the news on X, saying AI3 cars can expect to receive FSD v12.6 by the end of the year.
FSD v13.2.1 is now rolling out wide to AI4 customers! That plus the holiday vehicle software update is coming within a week. Team’s working on a much updated v12.6 for AI3 customers by end of this year.
Merry Christmas
— Ashok Elluswamy (@aelluswamy) December 16, 2024
While we don’t know what exactly will be included in the FSD v12.6 update, it will hopefully bring significant improvements to performance and usability for AI3 vehicles. It is expected to include end-to-end for highway driving, as well as the new FSD speed profiles, and possibly more. But it won’t contain some of the new features in v13, like the ability to reverse and park by itself.
Challenges for AI3 and Tesla’s Future FSD Roadmap
One key challenge for Tesla has been the growing divide between HW3 and HW4 capabilities. While HW4’s improved processing power and sensor suite make it better suited for Tesla’s latest FSD iterations, HW3 systems are inherently more limited, but also more prevalent, with the company only switching over to HW4/AI4 exclusively earlier this year. Musk has previously hinted that future FSD updates may eventually prove unfeasible on HW3 hardware, raising questions about long-term compatibility for legacy vehicles.
To address this, Musk has assured owners that Tesla would offer hardware upgrades for HW3 vehicles if necessary. In that statement, which came during the Q3 2024 earnings call, Musk didn’t say the upgrade would be to AI4, suggesting a custom solution in between AI3 and AI4, which some are referring to AI3.5.
