Tesla Delivers First Hardware 4.0 Vehicles; Some Software Issues [Updated Again]

Tesla delivers Model X with HW4 installed

jasondclinton/Reddit

Tesla has started delivering vehicles with hardware 4.0 installed, but certain features are not available.

Tesla's FSD HW 4.0 was leaked by Tesla hacker and owner Greentheonly when he showed off photos and details of HW4 on Twitter, explaining that HW4 would have upgraded 5mp cameras, improved processing power, and an all-new high-definition radar.

A few weeks ago, we reported that Tesla will deliver its first HW4 vehicles without the suspected additional cameras. Shortly after, Twitter user Kilowatts ventured into one of Tesla’s vehicle lots and was able to snap photos of some of the first Teslas with hardware 4.0.

Delivery of HW4 Model X

A poster on Reddit shared pictures and video of his 2023 Model X delivery, showcasing hardware 4.0. According to their post, the vehicle was built on February 25th and delivered March 5th, a mere 10 days after being built.

Software Still a Work In Progress

Teslas with hardware 4.0 are missing visualizations, TACC and Autopilot right now

jasondclinton/Reddit

However, several features on his vehicle are currently unavailable as Tesla appears to still be developing and testing software for HW4. These features include almost everything that utilizes the vehicle's cameras, including Autopilot and Traffic Aware Cruise Control (TACC). Full Self-Driving Beta (FSD Beta) is also disabled.

The visualizations on-screen are also absent, the vehicle displays almost no visualizations of any kind. According to the author of the post, only road markings are visible.

The vehicle does not show any details confirming it has HW4 in any of the usual places such as the software tab, in the 'additional vehicle information' dialog, or in Tesla's Service menu. However, the owner says that Tesla themselves confirmed that the vehicle is equipped with Tesla's latest FSD hardware and the author's photos confirm the presence of the new cameras.

HW4 Timeline for Other Teslas

While Tesla continues to work on the software for HW4, we’re anticipating the Model 3 and Model Y vehicles to follow with HW4 deliveries at some point this year. Tesla’s “Project Highland” is making way, but Tesla may add hardware 4.0 to the Cybertruck first, as the new hardware may be constrained due to ramping production.

Retrofits for HW4

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has said that HW4 will not be available for retrofits. He’s said that as long as HW3 remains safer than a human then there’s no need for an upgrade. The entire computer has been rebuilt and rearranged, making it much more difficult to pop it into HW3 vehicles.

After Greentheonly’s leak about HW4 last month, Munro Live shared an in-depth video explaining every detail of HW4 and what to expect. Additionally, they went over why retrofits are not feasible.

Update

Update: The owner, Jason has updated their Reddit post to provide an update on some of the missing ADAS features. He noticed that his rear camera was failing and that he could reset it in Tesla's Service Mode.

Resetting the camera would bring it back online, however, it crashes again just minutes later. Jason was able to have the camera online long enough to confirm that Autopilot was available if the camera was working. However, as soon as it crashes, Autopilot and other features would go offline, even if they didn't completely depend on the rear camera.

For example, visualizations would appear, but as the rear camera crashed, they would completely disappear, even if the objects that were in front of the car.

Jason said that Navigate on Autopilot, TACC and visualizations appeared to be available while the rear camera was online, but it wasn't clear whether all features were available such as AutoPark, Summon and FSD Beta.

This appears to be a software-related issue, but it's not clear at this time whether it's affecting everyone with hardware 4.0 or if it's limited to some vehicles.

Update 2

Update 2: The vehicle in question has now received another software update, version 2023.201, which contains "bug fixes."

This update has fixed the issue with the rear camera and the vehicle has regained access to Autopilot, TACC, vehicle visualizations and other features, although AutoPark and FSD Beta are still unavailable. This update addresses the larger concerns and reestablishes the major features of the vehicle, however, we hope the additional functionality is restored soon.

Tesla Increases Price of Model S; Starts Offering Free Lifetime Supercharging

Not a Tesla App

For the first time in quite a while, Tesla has increased the price of one of its vehicle offerings. The Model S Long Range and the Model S Plaid have both received a hefty price increase. However, not all is bad - as Tesla also added a new benefit for buyers.

Price Increase

The price increase for the Model S is $5,000 - currently only in the United States. This price increase will likely impact other markets, including Canada, in the coming days.

The Model S Long Range now starts at $79,990, while the Model S Plaid now starts at $94,990. The Model S and Model X now have the same starting price. Interestingly, that’s also the same pricing point for the Cybertruck AWD and Cyberbeast Trimotor non-Foundation Series. 

The vehicle configuration does not appear to have changed, so the new pricing is simply an increase rather than the addition or removal of features. Tesla previously cut the price of the Model S and Model X by 15% in 2023, so this could simply be an adjustment to ensure that the vehicle pricing stays in line with inflation and other factors.

Free Lifetime Supercharging

For those on the fence about ordering a Model S, Tesla has brought back Free Lifetime Supercharging when you order a new Model S on or after December 13, 2024. As always, Free Lifetime Supercharging is restricted to the buyer’s Tesla account and to that specific vehicle. It cannot be transferred to another vehicle or another owner after ownership transfer. It’s worth noting, that it also doesn’t exclude the owner from receiving Supercharger idle fees or congestion fees. There is currently no end date for this promotion.

There are currently no changes to the Model X, neither a price increase nor the addition of Lifetime Superchargering. However, when Tesla makes changes to one of their premium vehicles, it usually affects the other one as well. So be on the lookout for potential changes to the Model X offering in the coming days.

We’ve seen Tesla value Lifetime Supercharging at $5,000, so this falls in line with the price increase we’re seeing. It’s possible that Tesla will begin to bring back Lifetime Supercharging as a perk for buying into their more premium Model S and Model X cars, or this could be another temporary promotion to get buyers who are on the fence to go ahead and make their purchase while this promotion lasts.

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Tesla’s Optimus Robot Learns to Walk Without Vision [VIDEO]

Optimus Falls - but catches itself!

Not a Tesla App

Tesla recently showed off a demo of Optimus, its humanoid robot, walking around in moderately challenging terrain—not on a flat surface but on dirt and slopes. These things can be difficult for a humanoid robot, especially during the training cycle.

Daily walks help clear your mind pic.twitter.com/dUsW58trS6

— Tesla Optimus (@Tesla_Optimus) December 9, 2024

A Look Behind the Curtain

Most interestingly, Milan Kovac, VP of Engineering for Optimus, clarified what it takes to get Optimus to this stage. Let’s break down what he said.

Optimus is Blind

Optimus is getting seriously good at walking now - it can keep its balance over uneven ground - even while walking blind. Tesla is currently using just the sensors, all powered by a neural net running on the embedded computer. 

Essentially, Tesla is building Optimus from the ground up, relying on as much additional data as possible while it trains vision. This is similar to how they train FSD on vehicles, using LiDAR rigs to validate the vision system’s accuracy. While Optimus doesn’t have LiDAR, it relies on all those other sensors on board, many of which will likely become simplified as vision takes over as the primary sensor.

Today, Optimus is walking blind, but it’s able to react almost instantly to changes in the terrain underneath it, even if it falls or slips. 

What’s Next?

Next up, Tesla AI will be adding vision to Optimus - helping complete the neural net. Remember, Optimus runs on the same overall AI stack as FSD - in fact, Optimus uses an FSD computer and an offshoot of the FSD stack for vision-based tasks.

Milan mentions they’re planning on adding vision to help the robot plan ahead and improve its walking gait. While the zombie shuffle is iconic and a little bit amusing, getting humanoid robots to walk like humans is actually difficult.

There’s plenty more, too - including better responsiveness to velocity and direction commands and learning to fall and stand back up. Falling while protecting yourself to minimize damage is something natural to humans - but not exactly natural to something like a robot. Training it to do so is essential in keeping the robot, the environment around it, and the people it is interacting with safe.

We’re excited to see what’s coming with Optimus next because it is already getting started in some fashion in Tesla’s factories.

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