Tesla spent a good part of AI Day talking about their big improvements in vision and AI where they’ve been making amazing progress as shown with some of the latest FSD Betas. They also talked about Dojo, their new supercomputer used for AI which will become operational next year. They even announced a humanoid robot, Tesla Bot.
However, one thing that wasn’t part of the official event, but we were able to find out more in the questions and answers portion of the event is Tesla’s FSD hardware 4.0 computer.
Tesla released FSD hardware 2.5 in 2017 and hardware version 3.0 was introduced in 2019. So we’ve been expecting an updated version of the FSD computer for a little while now.
All of Tesla’s vehicles today include Tesla’s hardware 3.0 computer, including the newly designed Model S. Normally, you’d see companies shy away from talking about new hardware that wasn’t part of the event, but Tesla had no problem answering questions about a possible new FSD computer.
When asked if there was a new FSD computer on the horizon, Elon Musk said that he expects the current hardware to be capable of autonomous driving safer than a human, but of course Tesla wants to continue expanding and improving so they’re always developing more powerful computers.
Elon guessed that we may see hardware 4.0 next year with the introduction of the Cybertruck. He hinted at hardware 4.0 providing about 4x the compute power of hardware 3.0. For those of you with Cybertruck reservations, this makes that vehicle even more exciting.
In another question related to new hardware, Elon also said that Tesla is looking into new cameras. He was clear that the current cameras aren’t a hindrance, but if they can think they can do better, then they would. He didn’t go into details whether this would be tied to the Cybertruck or hardware 4.0, but it seems likely. He also didn’t mention specifically whether they would be higher resolution, larger sensors, or possibly even better placement on the vehicle.
It’s been shown before that although the current camera placement on Teslas today allow for human-like capabilities and provide a similar view as a human being in the driver seat, it could be further improved by having cameras placed near the headlights looking off to the side.
Although it could be disappointing for some to see new hardware announced so soon after they bought a hardware 3 equipped vehicle, Tesla needs to continue advancing and new hardware may not necessarily provide new capabilities, but introduce a higher level of safety.
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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.
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.
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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