HW3 / FSD Computer Worth Upgrading?

[Jae001]

Tesla has for the most part been very good at structuring affairs to make money. For the upcoming FSD subscription it will likely happen in one of two ways:

1. Owners with HW2.5 will have to pay for the HW3.0 computer separately if they choose the subscription. As soon as you sign up you will be invoiced for the hardware upgrade and the 1st month of the subscription.
2. Owners with HW2.5 won't even be offered to buy the subscription at all and it will be strictly limited to those with HW3.0.

In other words, there won't likely be an option for paying for a single month of FSD and getting a free computer. It is all too obvious to Tesla that this would be a huge financial leak for them.

Look they want as many people on FSD as they can not only for additional revenue but for more beta testers and more data to improve their neural network. I would guess they would take the 10K and divide it by 36 (standard lease length) and that will be the subscription cost. They would then make you sign up for a year just like the Premium Data Connectivity and that would cover their costs easily for the FSD computer and install. So that comes to $3,333 a year round it to $3,500-4,000 plus tax and you have your subscription price per year. This makes financial sense for Tesla and proves Elon's point that the subscription service is not very economical for the consumer and they should just purchase it. My 2 cents.

 

[Dogwhistle]

I have a mid-2018 LR RWD and was thinking about doing the FSD computer upgrade they are offering for $1000. I’m not really interested in purchasing FSD, but may try it on a subscription basis. More interested in knowing if the computer upgrade is worthwhile without FSD? Things run smoother, added features?

 

[Timbo2]

I have a mid-2018 LR RWD and was thinking about doing the FSD computer upgrade they are offering for $1000. I’m not really interested in purchasing FSD, but may try it on a subscription basis. More interested in knowing if the computer upgrade is worthwhile without FSD? Things run smoother, added features?

I'm in the same boat. I don't do that much highway driving and no interest in FSD.

One thing it WILL do is start using the cabin camera. If that isn't working or doesn't work correctly that will stop autopilot from working. There have been people here who upgraded the computer and had to pay more money to get the cabin camera working after they discovered it wasn't working. Good luck getting Tesla to fix that out of warranty.

I'm also not sure what the current status of the HW3 software is - are the ultrasonics being used? Is the radar module being used? If the software is evolved enough the radar may not be an issue, but the ultrasonic parking sensor "see" in more places down low than the cameras are physically capable.

 

[stopcrazypp]

I'm in the same boat. I don't do that much highway driving and no interest in FSD.

One thing it WILL do is start using the cabin camera. If that isn't working or doesn't work correctly that will stop autopilot from working. There have been people here who upgraded the computer and had to pay more money to get the cabin camera working after they discovered it wasn't working. Good luck getting Tesla to fix that out of warranty.

I'm also not sure what the current status of the HW3 software is - are the ultrasonics being used? Is the radar module being used? If the software is evolved enough the radar may not be an issue, but the ultrasonic parking sensor "see" in more places down low than the cameras are physically capable.

Radar has been disabled since 2022.20.9.
Tesla transitioning its first radar vehicles to 'Tesla Vision'

Tesla is very clear if your car has ultrasonic sensors, it won't disable them:
"Will vehicles equipped with ultrasonic sensors have their functionality removed?
At this time, we do not plan to remove the functionality of ultrasonic sensors in our existing fleet."
https://www.tesla.com/support/transitioning-tesla-vision

Makes zero sense to do so when they don't even have Autopark or Summon/Smart Summon working yet for cars without USS.

 

[nicksp]

I recently purchased a used 18 M3LR which has FSD capabilities. Does the upgrade in hardware also upgrade the processor?

 

[Timbo2]

I recently purchased a used 18 M3LR which has FSD capabilities. Does the upgrade in hardware also upgrade the processor?

Not for the infotainment.

Only the behind the scenes driving parts including the video feeds.