Tesla is refusing to do the best factor about ‘Full Self-Driving’ package deal transfers and as a substitute holds its personal incapacity to ship the package deal over the pinnacle of its house owners.
I simply had a dialog with Tesla about doing the best factor about FSD switch. I received a solution: a “categoric no”.
Tesla is actually utilizing its personal incapacity to ship a characteristic it promised and bought to folks, unsupervised self-driving, as a requirement set off to get folks to order new vehicles.
The Context
For many who should not conscious, Tesla has been promoting since 2016 one thing referred to as “Full Self-Driving package deal”, FSD for brief, that features superior driver help options, and the automaker has been promising that it’s going to finally end in unsupervised self-driving functionality via over-the-air software program updates.
At first, Tesla claimed that each one vehicles produced since 2016 would be capable to obtain that. Nonetheless, Tesla rapidly discovered that it was incorrect and launched a brand new laptop referred to as HW3 in 2019 and retrofited automobiles with it.
In 2023, Tesla launched once more a brand new laptop, HW4, however the automaker claimed that it might simply add extra computing energy to enhance capability sooner or later, and it was nonetheless assured that it might ship on its self-driving guarantees with HW3 vehicles.
In actual fact, Tesla CEO Elon Musk even claimed that software program updates on HW4 vehicles would lag 6 months behind updates on HW3 vehicles as Tesla focuses on delivering on its self-driving guarantees on the older automobiles.
That lasted lower than a yr. Since final yr, Tesla has been focusing updates on HW4 as it’s reaching the compute limits of HW3. As we beforehand reported, Tesla is now utilizing each nodes on the HW3 laptop – which means that it doesn’t even have any compute redundancy, which is required for stage 4-5 autonomy.
Late final yr, Tesla lastly signaled that it could be reaching the boundaries of HW3 and stated that it might present laptop retrofits if wanted, however there’s no retrofit in sight regardless of HW3 falling now months behind HW4 vehicles.
With the questionable {hardware} scenario and the much more questionable information pointing to Tesla being method delayed on its self-driving ambition, Tesla FSD house owners are asking for a easy factor from the automaker, and it might’t even do this.
The Downside
With the scenario trying dire for HW3, Tesla house owners have been asking the automaker for years to hyperlink the FSD software program package deal to the proprietor relatively than the automotive – which means that if you happen to improve your automotive to a brand new Tesla, you possibly can switch your FSD software program package deal, which you paid as much as $15,000 for and Tesla by no means absolutely delivered, to the brand new automotive.
Doesn’t this sound honest? Tesla bought you a product they by no means delivered, and you might be solely giving them one other shot on the newer {hardware} with a brand new automotive, which has a better likelihood of success.
It doesn’t price Tesla something because it’s only a software program package deal that it transfers to {hardware} that’s customary on all vehicles.
But, Tesla has refused to do the best factor right here. Musk was requested a number of instances by Tesla house owners about doing that and refused. As a substitute, he devised a plan to make use of Tesla’s personal lack of ability to ship self-driving functionality as a requirement set off.
In the summertime of 2023, Musk lastly agreed to permit FSD transfers, however not as a result of it was the best factor to do. As a substitute, he stated it might be a “one-time amnesty” for a single quarter. Tesla used this to spice up gross sales within the quarter.
Tesla ended up bringing again the motivation 4 extra instances when it wanted to spice up orders, making Musk a liar for saying it might solely be for 1 / 4. By claiming it’s just for this one time, Tesla is creating urgency in attempting to get folks to improve – as a substitute of doing the best factor and providing everybody who purchased FSD the flexibility to switch till Tesla truly delivers on its promise.
At the moment, Tesla isn’t providing it as a result of it doesn’t have to. There are many different elements boosting demand proper now together with the brand new Mannequin Y, the concern of shedding the tax credit score within the US, and in Canada, Tesla simply introduced a value improve coming subsequent month – pushing folks to take supply this month.
I reached out to Tesla about transferring my FSD on a brand new automotive this week, and I used to be instructed “the FSD switch window is closed proper now”. After explaining all this above to the salesperson and highlighting that it’s the best factor to do to not cost me $11,000 for a software program package deal that I already purchased and so they by no means delivered, they agreed to run it up the chain.
The following day, I used to be instructed that higher administration responded: “a categoric no.”
Electrek’s Take
It’s such a easy factor to do. It’s not solely the best factor to do, nevertheless it’s additionally sensible for Tesla because it reduces the apparent legal responsibility of getting HW3 vehicles that paid for FSD.
At this level, it’s clear that Tesla won’t ever be capable to ship on its promised unsupervised Full Self-Driving capabilities on HW3 vehicles. Ought to we actually be shocked? Tesla was incorrect earlier than and needed to improve vehicles from HW2.5 to HW3, which is now 6 years previous.
Tesla didn’t know what {hardware} it wanted to ship self-driving then, and there’s an excellent likelihood it doesn’t know now. However even then, would anybody severely imagine that Tesla would ship unsupervised self-driving functionality on 6-year-old {hardware}? I feel not.
Subsequently, each HW3 car Tesla bought with a FSD package deal is a legal responsibility. It makes for them to take away the packages from these vehicles and transfer them to more moderen automobiles with a better likelihood of ever delivering on their promise – though there’s loads of room for doubt with these vehicles too.
Regardless, It’s about doing the best factor on your prospects as a substitute of utilizing your individual lack of ability to ship a product you promised as a requirement lever for extra orders. It’s worse than the ways utilized by automotive dealerships that Tesla despises a lot.
As common, I need to spotlight that I feel FSD is an unimaginable product, and if it was developed with out Elon Musk claiming that it might obtain unsupervised self-driving by the tip of yearly for the final 5 years and Tesla promoting the product to prospects earlier than it’s prepared, I feel it might be far more celebrated.
However as a substitute, Tesla and Musk are doing these issues, and many individuals see it as a fraudulent and harmful product. It doesn’t assist when the CEO grossly misrepresents information about this system.
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