The State of Full Self-Driving Hardware 4.0 As It’s Being Delivered to Customers
The first Model X customer has taken delivery of a vehicle with the latest Full Self-Driving Hardware 4.0: here’s what Tesla customers can expect.
Summary
Full Self-Driving Hardware 4.0 is the latest generation of Autopilot/Full Self-Driving Hardware. It replaces the current Hardware 3.0 version, which was introduced in 2019 as Tesla’s own custom Full Self-Driving Computer.
Hardware 4.0 is roughly twice as powerful as its predecessor, with more detailed specifications of its Exynos-based processor and chip design revealed in a recent teardown.
It additionally features 5-megapixel camera sensors, upgraded from 1.2- megapixel sensors, as well as a radar module that’s yet to be utilized.
Delivery
The first reported delivery of a Hardware 4.0-equipped vehicle was on Monday of a 2023 Model X Plaid with a recent February 25th build date.
The owner shared a gallery of images depicting the upgraded camera sensors, with the most apparent being a set of three in the windshield.
Tesla is still working on the software, as the new Model X owner reports that “all visualizations are currently broken except for lanes.”
Interestingly, the rollout is so new that Autopilot Hardware in Settings yields a description of ‘None.’
Even more notably, Tesla’s internal system reflected both AP4 and a PHOENIX radar module on the Model X.
Phoenix
Phoenix is Tesla’s next-generation, four-dimensional radar module which was designed in-house. It’s expected to offer a dramatic improvement in data quality and signal-to-noise ratio over the previous radar sensor.
Per this evaluation, Tesla is shipping Hardware 4.0 vehicles with Phoenix.
However, no features currently use the radar module and the Full Self-Driving Beta is still Tesla Vision-based: it only utilizes cameras to provide “SAE Level 2” functionality.
Autopilot/Full Self-Driving Functionality
Functionality is currently limited as Tesla still has to optimize features for Hardware 4.0.
The hardware is essentially shipping ahead of the software being ready, which isn’t new for Tesla as the automaker makes incremental changes to its Autopilot/Full Self-Driving hardware.
Tesla sent a notice to customers taking delivery of a Hardware 4.0-equipped vehicle that Park Assist, Autopark, Summon, Smart Summon, and Full Self-Driving features will be either limited or inactive upon delivery and only available following future over-the-air software updates.
Autopilot is expected to work following standard camera calibration; however, the owner who’s provided these insights was unable to use Autopilot or even cruise control upon delivery.
Thus, all sensor-related features were disabled — even parking sensors. The owner reported experiencing issues with the rear camera as well.
Software Update 2023.201
Tesla has already addressed some of the most pressing issues in an over-the-air software, fixing the rear camera bugs and reinstating Autopilot, Navigate on Autopilot, traffic-aware cruise control, and visualizations.
Will Retrofits Be Available for Older Tesla Vehicles?
Due to the significant changes to the hardware enclosure and additional upgrades, there will be no retrofits offered to vehicles with Hardware 1.0/2.0/2.5/3.0.
Are All Tesla Vehicles Shipping with Hardware 4.0?
As of today, only Model X is shipping with Hardware 4.0.
What Happens Next?
Model S is expected to shortly follow, then Model Y and Model 3 should begin shipping with Hardware 4.0 within the next two quarters.
Cybertruck will launch with Hardware 4.0, tentatively this summer.
Tesla will restore all functionality and possibly release an optimized version of the Full Self-Driving Beta over the coming months.
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