Trending Now - Musk Commits to Retrofitting Millions of Teslas for True FSD

WHO:

Engadget - Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla

Electrek - Tesla, owners of Tesla vehicles, FSD (Full Self-Driving) customers

TechCrunch - Tesla, millions of Tesla owners

WHAT:

TechCrunch - Musk stated that Tesla will be releasing a “distilled” version of FSD version 14 for Hardware 3 by the end of June 2026.

Electrek - Musk confirmed that unsupervised Full Self-Driving for consumer vehicles won’t arrive until Q4 2026 at the earliest.

Electrek - Musk mentioned that Tesla will be offering a "discounted trade-in" for cars with AI4 hardware.

Electrek - Musk stated that all HW3 cars will need to be upgraded to fulfill the promise they were sold with.

Engadget - Musk stated that Hardware 3 “simply does not have the capability to achieve unsupervised FSD.”

Electrek - Musk confirmed that Tesla will be offering discounted trade-ins for cars with AI4 hardware.

TechCrunch - Musk mentioned that Tesla plans to release a “distilled” version of FSD version 14 for Hardware 3 by the end of June 2026.

Electrek - Musk indicated that Tesla will need to set up “microfactories” in major metropolitan areas to efficiently upgrade Hardware 3 vehicles.

Electrek - Musk stated that unsupervised Full Self-Driving for consumer vehicles won’t arrive until Q4 2026 at the earliest.

TechCrunch - Musk confirmed that Hardware 3 owners will need to replace both the computer and all cameras to achieve Full Self-Driving capabilities.

Electrek - Tesla plans to release a “distilled” version of FSD version 14 for Hardware 3 by the end of June 2026.

TechCrunch - Tesla reported a slight beat on earnings with $0.41 per share on $22.38 billion in revenue for Q1 2026.

Engadget - Musk stated that Tesla does not have a solid pathway for how to give Hardware 3 cars Full Self-Driving (FSD) capabilities.

TechCrunch - Musk admitted that Tesla has known for quite a while that its vehicles equipped with Hardware 3 aren’t capable of unsupervised FSD.

Electrek - Musk mentioned that Tesla will be offering a "discounted trade-in" for cars with AI4 hardware.

Engadget - Musk stated that Hardware 3 cars cannot achieve unsupervised FSD capabilities.

Engadget - Tesla will upgrade and replace computers and cameras on older vehicles.

Electrek - Musk proposed building “microfactories” in urban areas to retrofit vehicles.

Electrek - Approximately 4 million Tesla cars are equipped with Hardware 3.

Electrek - Tesla will release FSD version 14 for Hardware 3 around the end of June 2026.

TechCrunch - Musk's admission could lead to legal challenges for Tesla.

WHERE:

Engadget - Tesla's Fremont factory, locations of proposed microfactories in major metropolitan areas.

WHEN:

Engadget - Manufacturing of Tesla's humanoid Optimus robots will begin in late July or August 2026.

Engadget - The last Model S and X vehicles will roll off the production line in May 2026.

Electrek - Tesla plans to release FSD version 14 for Hardware 3 around the end of June 2026.

Engadget - Manufacturing of Tesla's humanoid Optimus robots will begin in late July or August 2026.

Engadget - Hardware 3 was used in Tesla vehicles manufactured from 2019 until early 2023.

Engadget - The last Model S and X vehicles will roll off the production line in May 2026.

Engadget - Manufacturing of Tesla's humanoid Optimus robots will begin in late July or August 2026.

Electrek - Musk mentioned the need for upgrades during the quarterly conference call on April 23rd, 2026.

WHY:

TechCrunch - Musk's admission could open Tesla to legal challenges after years of promising customers they were just one software update away from fully autonomous cars.

Electrek - Musk acknowledged that releasing unsupervised FSD requires careful, geography-by-geography validation due to factors like complex intersections and weather challenges.

TechCrunch - Musk's admission could open Tesla to legal challenges after years of promising customers they were just one software update away from fully autonomous cars.

Engadget - Hardware 3 has only 1/8th the memory bandwidth of Hardware 4, which is necessary for unsupervised FSD.

Electrek - Tesla needs to fulfill the promise of full autonomy made to customers when selling vehicles.

HOW:

Electrek - Musk indicated that Tesla will need to set up “microfactories” in major cities to handle the volume of upgrades efficiently.

Electrek - Musk mentioned that Tesla will need to set up “microfactories” in major cities to handle the volume of upgrades efficiently.

Engadget - Upgrades will be done through the establishment of microfactories to improve efficiency.

Electrek - Tesla plans to offer discounted trade-ins for cars with AI4 hardware and will replace necessary components to achieve FSD capabilities.

(UPDATED April 24, 2026 05:50 UTC)

Musk announced that Tesla plans to release a “distilled” version of Full Self-Driving version 14 for Hardware 3 by the end of June 20th26, but he also confirmed that unsupervised Full Self-Driving for consumer vehicles won’t be available until at least the fourth quarter of 2026. In addition, he mentioned that all HW3 cars will need to be upgraded to meet the promises made at the time of sale, and Tesla will offer a "discounted trade-in" for vehicles equipped with AI4 hardware. Musk's statements could expose Tesla to legal challenges after years of assuring customers they were just one software update away from achieving fully autonomous driving.

(UPDATED April 23, 2026 21:15 UTC)

Musk announced that Hardware 3 lacks the capability for unsupervised full self-driving, while also confirming that Tesla will offer discounted trade-ins for cars equipped with AI4 hardware. He mentioned plans to release a "distilled" version of FSD version 14 for Hardware 3 by the end of June 20th26 and indicated the need for "microfactories" in major cities to upgrade these vehicles efficiently. Additionally, manufacturing of Tesla's humanoid Optimus robots is set to begin in late July or August 20th26, with the last Model S and X vehicles expected to roll off the production line in May 20th26, raising concerns about potential legal challenges for Tesla after years of promises regarding full autonomy.

(UPDATED April 23, 2026 17:24 UTC)

Musk announced that unsupervised Full Self-Driving for consumer vehicles won’t be available until at least the fourth quarter of 2026, and he confirmed that owners of Hardware 3 will need to replace both the computer and all cameras to access these capabilities. Tesla is set to release a “distilled” version of Full Self-Driving version 14 for Hardware 3 by the end of June 20th26, while the company reported a slight earnings beat with $0.41 per share on $22.38 billion in revenue for the first quarter of 2026. Musk emphasized the importance of careful, geography-by-geography validation for unsupervised FSD due to challenges like complex intersections and weather, and he mentioned that Tesla will establish “microfactories” in major cities to efficiently manage the volume of necessary upgrades.

(UPDATED April 23, 2026 15:37 UTC)

In a recent announcement, Elon Musk revealed that Tesla lacks a clear plan to enable Full Self-Driving capabilities for cars equipped with Hardware 3, admitting the company has known for some time that these vehicles cannot operate unsupervised. Tesla is set to release FSD version 14 for Hardware 3 by the end of June 20th26, and will also offer a discounted trade-in for cars featuring AI4 hardware. Additionally, manufacturing of Tesla's humanoid Optimus robots is expected to begin in late July or August 20th26, a move that could lead to legal challenges for the company after years of assurances about achieving fully autonomous driving.

(UPDATED April 23, 2026 11:21 UTC)

Elon Musk announced that Tesla's Hardware 3 cars will not be able to achieve unsupervised Full Self-Driving capabilities, leading the company to plan upgrades and replacements for older vehicles. Approximately 4 million Tesla cars are equipped with Hardware 3, and Musk proposed building microfactories in urban areas to facilitate these retrofits, with FSD version 14 expected to be released for these vehicles by the end of June 20th26. During a quarterly conference call on Thursday, Musk emphasized the need for these upgrades to fulfill the promise of full autonomy made to Tesla customers.