The reports of HW3’s death have been greatly exaggerated. With FSD V12.6.1 finally beginning to make its way to HW3 Model Ys, Tesla’s AI team is still hard at work improving FSD on Hardware 3 vehicles - and we’ve definitely seen a great step forward since V12.5 with the latest releases.
While Model 3 vehicles are still waiting for V12.6.1 to roll out to them, we’re already looking at the future of new features on HW3.
Reverse Confirmed
In a post on X, Elon Musk confirmed that reverse would be making its way to Hardware 3 vehicles soon. He jokingly pointed out that it probably stresses out the AI model quite a bit. The path planner currently thinks it can reverse, putting the vehicle in situations where it’s required to reverse, such as lining up for a three point turn. Right now FSD will draw squiggly lines all over the screen with its path planner.
FSD usually won’t give up until it really cannot move any further - it will inch as far forward as it can, and try planning the path to a three-point-turn. For now, FSD on HW3 vehicles isn’t allowed to shift in reverse outside of AutoPark, so it can’t continue and will stall out, waiting for a user intervention.
With FSD V13 for HW4, we saw vehicles gain the ability to Unpark, reverse and start FSD from park. It’s possible that when HW3 vehicles gain the ability to reverse, it may also include some of these other abilities, which truly start making FSD seem human-like.
Cybertruck’s FSD Too
As an aside, the Cybertruck’s build of FSD V13.2 is also not capable of reversing just yet. While the Cybertruck can AutoPark, it cannot Unpark, Park, or be Actually Smart Summoned quite yet - among other missing features.
Tesla’s official Cybertruck account also commented on Elon’s post - mentioning it's like an itch that can’t be scratched. Here’s hoping that Cybertruck also gets the chance to reverse soon as well.
All in all, it’s a big positive that Elon, as well as Tesla’s VP of AI - Ashok Elluswamy - have continued to acknowledge that changes and improvements for FSD on Hardware 3 vehicles are still coming. With this, and the knowledge that Tesla could potentially look at a hardware retrofit in the future if they can’t achieve Unsupervised FSD, we feel like it is far too early to say Hardware 3 is dead.
The question is - will the new Reverse feature push the build to V13? Or will we see FSD V12.7 next? Let us know what you think in the forums or on social media.
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Tesla’s new in-car AI assistant, Grok, will be getting a hands-free wake word soon. Tesla added Grok to its 2025.26 update, and it’s already working on ways to improve the feature.
Elon Musk stated on X that Grok will soon be able to be activated on Tesla vehicles with the “Hey, Grok” wake word. The conversational assistant will feel even more human-like by having it respond to its own name.
Currently, Grok is activated with a long press of the voice command button (or a long press of the right scroll wheel on older vehicles). A single tap of the button/wheel is currently reserved for the outgoing voice command system, which is expected to be replaced by Grok in the future.
When you’re barely touching the steering wheel on FSD, having a wake-word will be especially useful since you don’t want to deactivate Autopilot accidentally by grabbing the steering wheel.
Grok in a Tesla is going to be far more useful than on a phone or smart speaker, because Grok has access to a whole set of real-time contextual data about the vehicle and its surroundings. While Grok already has access to your vehicle’s location, in the future it’ll be tied in with a lot more, likely knowing your destination, route, battery level, and a lot more. This is all data that Grok will be able to use and take into account when responding to one of your questions.
“Hey, Grok - what’s the best coffee shop along my route that’s within 15 minutes?” will be easily answered by Grok in the future.
Expect More Improvements
Seamless, hands-free activation will be a big improvement for voice commands, especially if the syntax isn’t as rigid as it is today. “Hey Grok, turn on the heated seats”, or “Hey Grok, add a stop at the nearest coffee shop.”
While Grok is going to be an in-development product for quite some time, the confirmation of a wake word tells us that Tesla is already planning its next set of improvements. We don’t expect these to be added all at once, but we can see a long list of features that could be added to Grok.
Once Grok has access to vehicle controls, we expect it to be much more capable than it is today, not only from a syntactical point of view, but also in terms of the actual functions it could control. For example, you may be able to ask Grok to open your garage door when you get home, or tune to a specific radio station at a specific time.
Now, we just need to be able to talk to our vehicles from outside, Knight Rider style.
The very first Tesla Diner in Hollywood appears to be in its final stages of preparation before its grand opening. There’s been a flurry of activity on site, mostly focused on wrapping up and finalizing all the details. That includes stress testing the on-site Superchargers, testing the movie screens, recording what appears to be a promotional video, and taste-testing the food.
There are a lot of potential menu items, but we have our first look at some of the food that will be served at this 24-hour diner. There are also what appear to be some collectibles that Tesla will give away to patrons. It’s all coming together.
Lights, Power, Action!
Thomas Adamian / Not a Tesla App
Recent observations by readers Thomas Adamian and @tesla_lighting_ show that the diner is now fully operational, at least from an infrastructure standpoint. The Superchargers outside the building are now being stress-tested, making sure they’re ready for what’s sure to be a packed opening day. After dark, the diner itself is all nicely lit up, with a large, retro-style Tesla Diner logo shining brightly.
The two large movie screens have been spotted lit up numerous times, but the best sign that the Tesla drive-in diner is ready to open is that Tesla appears to be filming on-site, in what will likely be a video posted to YouTube and other social media channels.
A First Look at the Menu
@tesla_lighting_ / Not a Tesla App
For the first time, we’ve finally got a sneak peek at the type of food that will be offered at the diner. We’ve been expecting traditional diner fare, so this list of food isn’t surprising.
The items spotted on the tables for taste-testing included hot wings, sandwiches, and a side of either salad or coleslaw. These will be joined by other staples, including burgers and hot dogs, which were also spotted.
Tesla is extending its Tesla Diner branding to drinkware and likely other tableware. The soft drink cups can be seen sporting Tesla’s lightning bolt logo. There also appears to be what looks like a Cybertruck-themed takeout box or a platter of some sort (can be seen on the very bottom left of the food image above).
Tesla previously teamed up with McDonald’s to offer a Cyber Spoon, so it’s possible they may make similar type offerings at their own diner.
Tesla has invested a lot in making this a unique destination. There’s no doubt that this place will be packed nearly 24/7 and will surely be a fan favorite destination.
Opening
While we haven’t heard of an official opening date yet, these final preparations, from promotional filming to taste testing, indicate that the wait for Tesla’s first Diner and drive-in movie experience is nearly over. Let’s hope it goes well, and they continue expanding the Tesla Diners across the globe.
![Tesla Diner: First Look at Its Food and Potential Collectibles [VIDEO]](https://www.notateslaapp.com/img/containers/article_images/2025/tesla-diner-logo.webp/feaab9ffb76b08874e474c8abdf2684d/tesla-diner-logo.jpg){kind=logo}
