Tesla Plans Massive Chip Retrofit for Older Vehicles
Tesla CEO Elon Musk announces that the company will likely begin retrofitting older models with its new custom self-driving computer late in the fourth quarter. The hardware upgrade comes at no cost to customers who previously purchased the Full Self-Driving software package.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk announces that the company will most likely begin upgrading older vehicles with its new custom computer chip late in the fourth quarter. This massive retrofitting effort involves hundreds of thousands of Model S, Model X, and Model 3 vehicles that currently operate on older hardware.
Customers who previously purchased the Full Self-Driving software package receive this hardware upgrade for free. Tesla currently offers two driver assistance packages, including the standard Autopilot and the more advanced Full Self-Driving option, although the vehicles still require human intervention and are not fully autonomous.
The custom chip represents a necessary hardware step to achieve Tesla's long-term goal of complete vehicle automation. Newer vehicles already come equipped with this specialized processor, but the company now faces the considerable logistical challenge of installing the new computers into its older "Hardware 2" fleet without changing any sensors or wiring.