Tesla Model Y HW4 Infotainment Includes Less Ram; Likely Means No Steam Support

Hardware 4 in the Model Y comes with reduced ram and storage

Greentheonly/Twitter

Tesla's Model Y Hardware 4 infotainment system has been reviewed by one of the most notorious Tesla enthusiasts, and it's a surprising outcome. Following a series of tweets (or Xs) from renowned Tesla hacker @greentheonly, it has come to light that the HW4 unit sports less RAM and storage than its predecessor, Hardware 3 on the infotainment side (MCU).

This change doesn't seem to make much sense, given Tesla's track record of continuously improving the product. It has sparked a debate about the potential impacts and motivations behind the change.

HW4 vs HW3: A Comparison

The latest information revealed that the HW4 infotainment system in the Model Y comes with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, exactly half of what the HW3 units offer. This significant reduction has led to questions about the possible implications on user experience, including the inability to support gaming services like Steam, which requires 16GB of RAM on the Model S and X. It's certainly possible Tesla finds a way to run Stream on less RAM, but it's unlikely given that Steam is run in a virtual machine.

Interestingly, despite these changes, the Central Processing Unit (CPU) between HW3 and HW4 remains the same. Furthermore, @greentheonly, who did an in-depth breakdown of HW4 last month, confirmed that both HW3 and HW4's infotainment side using the Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) CPU is susceptible to voltage glitching attacks. The surge attacks were revealed by a group of hackers, who call themselves researchers, last week.

Impacts on Performance

While concerns about reduced specifications are valid, some users report that the HW4 Model Y is incredibly responsive. @greentheonly attributes this to the model's newness, free from accumulated unnecessary data known as "cruft."

Reasoning Behind the Change

The decision to reduce the RAM and storage in HW4 seems perplexing to some Tesla fans, leading to speculation about Tesla's rationale for this move. However, cost considerations could be at the core of this decision. These changes were identified in Model Y HW4 units manufactured in both the Texas and Fremont factories.

Community Reactions

Tesla's community has shown mixed responses to the revelations. Some express disappointment at an apparent downgrade, while others remain hopeful about the system's optimized performance despite the reduced specifications. The discussion on TX.com also raised questions about why the Model Y configuration does not follow the same hardware pattern as Model S/X and why there are no performance trims for Infotainment.

The new findings about Tesla's Model Y HW4 infotainment with reduced specifications may seem like a step back, but the actual impact on user experience remains to be seen.

Whether Tesla's engineers have found a way to enhance the system with reduced resources or if this move is driven solely by cost considerations will likely become more apparent with time and usage. The dialogue initiated by @greentheonly provides valuable insights, though, and will continue to be a focal point for those interested in understanding Tesla's evolving technology and strategic decisions.

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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