Glossary / Engine

Hardware 3

10 Episode Mentions

Too Afraid to Ask

Hardware 3 is the chip inside a Tesla that lets it drive itself and run new software updates.

Technical Definition

Hardware 3 is Tesla’s third generation of its in-car computer system, which powers features like Autopilot and Full Self-Driving capabilities.

Hear It Discussed

"a big update on Tesla's plan to upgrade the Hardware 3 cars for people that paid for FSD."
Episode 560: Tesla Q1 Earnings: HW3 Retrofit Update, v14 Lite Release Date, and More! Ride the Lightning: Tesla and EV Podcast 00:11

"Elon Musk finally confirmed that older cars, cars built before 2023, which is not that old, that have a certain hardware package called Hardware 3 will not be able to be autonomous..."
April 23, 2026 | AI cloning scams plague dealers; Tesla's autonomous future Automotive News Daily Drive 05:07

"Do you think I am wasting my time at this point giving feedback for my Hardware 3 Model Y? ... I think there is no point in giving any feedback on Hardware 3."
Tesla Robotaxi, Rivian R2 configurator is live, China is taking over EU factories, and more Electrek 57:05