Musk reveals that HW4 vehicles will continue to lag behind HW3 vehicles for now
Not a Tesla App
Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (FSD) beta access for its latest hardware, Hardware 4 (HW4), is set to face a significant delay, as confirmed by Elon Musk. This delay, expected to last about six months, has raised concerns among Tesla owners and prospective buyers, particularly those who have invested in the latest versions of Model S, Model X, and Model Y equipped with HW4.
The Delay and Its Implications
In a recent exchange on X.com, a Tesla owner, @WholeMarsBlog, sought advice from Musk on which Tesla model to purchase, expressing concerns about being stuck without FSD beta access on HW4. Musk responded, clarifying that the “HW4 software will lag HW3 by at least another six months, as our focus needs to be on getting FSD on HW3 working super well and provided internationally.”
This means that while HW3 vehicles will continue to receive FSD updates, Teslas equipped with HW4 will not gain beta access to these advanced self-driving features for at least another half-year. This strategic move underlines Tesla’s approach of refining and deploying FSD features on HW3 before extending them to the latest hardware.
Concerns About Pre-Paid FSD Beta Access
Musk’s announcement sparked a flurry of questions from Tesla enthusiasts, many of whom inquired about refunds or credits for those who pre-paid for FSD beta access or subscribed to FSD beta subscriptions with HW4 vehicles. As these owners won't have access to the software for at least six months, possibly longer, there is growing concern about the value of their investment.
Additionally, Tesla has recently allowed a one-time transfer of FSD to a new vehicle in the third quarter. However, if the new vehicle is equipped with HW4, FSD beta won’t be available, making it a tough pill to swallow for those who have become accustomed to the convenience of FSD beta.
Uncertainty Around HW4 Capabilities
While driving FSD v12, Musk mentioned that it was running on HW3. It is still unclear whether his comment means that it will take six months for HW4 vehicles to receive FSD beta access or if it will take that long for HW4 to catch up to HW3 in all aspects that were on display in the V12 demonstration.
While it is clear that Tesla is prioritizing the refinement of FSD on HW3, the implications for those who have invested in HW4 vehicles and FSD beta access remain uncertain. As the wait for more advanced self-driving features continues, Tesla owners and prospective buyers must consider the trade-offs associated with the latest hardware and software offerings.
It turns out that the big undocumented change in Tesla update 2024.32 that disables the 12V power and USB ports while Sentry Mode is active is not a bug but an intentional change.
A fan contacted Tesla Service to see if the change was intentional and what the reason behind the change was. Surprisingly, they received a response pretty quickly.
No 12V Power Access
Tesla has decided to restrict 12V power access for safety reasons—namely, to “reduce the likelihood of thermal events” when third-party devices are left powered on without users present. Tesla reached out to the fan in question by phone, and they seemed to be sticking to that line.
It seems that Tesla is resolute that it was due to safety reasons and that the change would not be “fixed” or allowed in a future software update – as this was an intentional change for safety reasons.
Other sources have reported that the change was due to potential misuse of the 12V power access, with people wiring 1200w microwaves and kettles or jury-rigging 240v to 120v adapters, which had apparently been the cause of multiple fires in Tesla vehicles within China.
Workarounds
There are a couple workarounds, although neither are ideal. You can tap in to the vehicle’s 12v line directly to power your accessories, or you can use Camp Mode.
If you choose to enable Camp Mode, then you’ll need to manually lock the car from the app since walk-away door locking is disabled with Camp Mode. However, Camp Mode will use extra energy to keep the climate system enabled.
We’re still hoping Tesla considers bringing the Cybertruck’s Power Control menu to the rest of its vehicles and is somehow able to limit the max draw from these outlets to prevent dangerous situations.
With the Robotaxi event just a day away, we thought it would be a fun idea to run a contest to predict what Tesla will announce tomorrow evening.
We’ve outlined a list of questions below; simply answer them on our forums or social media (X or Threads), and be entered for a chance to win some great prizes.
The individuals who have the most correct answers will win one of five prizes mentioned below. If more than five people get them all right, a random drawing will be held from the pool of winners.
We’ll reach out to the winners either by email or by DM on social media.
The Questions
Will Tesla let attendees experience Robotaxi at the event?
Will Tesla first start the network with human supervision (ridesharing), or with Robotaxis only?
What year will the network start? When will it become fully autonomous? (if announced)
When will Robotaxi production begin? (if announced)
Will it be Robotaxi or Cybercab?
Which of these Robotaxi Concepts will be the closest to the one announced?
Will Robotaxi include:
Front-facing camera?
Stainless-steel body?
Steer-by-Wire or No Steering Wheel? (if announced)
Which current Tesla model has the most similar door-opening mechanism?
How many seats will the robotaxi have?
Will the robotaxi include AI5/Hardware 5, HW4 or something completely different?
Where will Tesla’s first Rideshare/Robotaxi location be established?
Will customers be able to purchase a Robotaxi?
Requirements
Please use the template below to answer the questions on social media or in our forums. You can post your answer as a comment to our forums, to our X post, or to our Threads post.
Once you do that, repost or quote post your favorite article from us.
1. Yes
2. Ridesharing
3. 2025/2027
4. 2025
5. Cybercab
6. Dominic's
7. Yes, Yes, SBW, No, 2
8. HW5
9. LA
10. Yes
Prizes
Prizes are generously provided by Enhance and Jowua, makers of some of the best Tesla accessories and amazing Tesla community members. Prizes will be mailed out directly by them. Winners will get to choose their prize from the list below. First place will have the first pick and so on. There will be five winners in total.
S3XY Buttons (including a commander and wiring)
S3XY Knob for Model 3/Y
Tesla Gaming Controller - Multi-Device Wireless Controller (Wireless Charging)
Tesla Gaming Controller - Multi-Device Wireless Controller (Wireless Charging)
Tesla Gaming Controller - Multi-Device Wireless Controller (Wireless Charging)
Disclaimer
This is a Tesla event, and Tesla normally likes to hold their cards close to their chest. If an answer is ambiguous, we’ll go with the best choice decided by our staff. We’ll do our best to be fair. This
With all that said, we wish our entrants the best of luck, and we’ll announce the winners at the end of the week.