Elon Musk confirms no unsupervised FSD for millions of Tesla vehicles

Tesla vehicles equipped with the older Hardware 3 (HW3) computer will not be capable of supporting fully autonomous Full Self-Driving (FSD), marking a significant limitation for millions of existing customers, CEO Elon Musk stated.

Musk made the remarks during the company’s Q1 2026 earnings call, where he clarified that the HW3 system, installed in an estimated four million Tesla vehicles, does not have the necessary computing power to enable true autonomous driving.

Many of these customers purchased FSD as an optional feature at the time of buying their cars, expecting future software updates to unlock full autonomy.

He explained that the hardware gap between HW3 and the newer HW4 system is substantial, particularly in terms of memory bandwidth, which he described as essential for autonomous driving capabilities. 

Musk noted that HW3 has roughly one-eighth the memory bandwidth of HW4, making it insufficient for the demands of advanced self-driving systems.

As a result, Tesla is proposing potential solutions for affected owners, including discounted trade-ins or hardware upgrades.

However, Musk stressed that upgrading is not a simple software update, as it would also require replacing cameras and other components linked to the newer system. 

He suggested that such upgrades would be more efficiently carried out through dedicated facilities or “microfactories,” rather than traditional service centers.

He added that Tesla ultimately aims to transition HW3 vehicles to HW4 so they can participate in future autonomous services, including a planned robotaxi network powered by FSD technology.

Musk had previously acknowledged in a January 2025 earnings call that HW3 vehicles would need hardware updates for customers expecting full autonomy.

Reports have also indicated that some owners, including a Tesla customer in the Netherlands, have been told to “remain patient” as the company develops a long-term solution.