Daily Recap: Saturday, April 25, 2026
17 episodes · If you only listen to one: #2633: Hacker Heaven, The Best of Car Talk
On Tesla's Q1 2026 earnings call, Elon Musk admitted that Hardware 3 cannot support unsupervised Full Self-Driving. The "I wish it were otherwise" framing reads as regret, not a routine technical update.
Elon Musk Admits Hardware 3 Cannot Support Unsupervised Full Self-Driving
For years, Tesla marketed Hardware 3, the autonomy computer in vehicles built since 2019, as the platform that would eventually deliver full self-driving once software caught up. On the Q1 2026 earnings call, covered by Kilowatt, Musk closed the door on that promise.
Tesla's Q1 2026 Earnings Call
"Hardware 3, I wish it were otherwise, but Hardware 3 simply does not have the capability to achieve unsupervised FSD."
Episode Spotlights
F1 Miami Grand Prix President Katharina Nowak
Katarina Nowak, the new president of the Miami Grand Prix, on how she structures an 18-department, 70-person operation across Hard Rock Stadium during race weekend:
"We try to make sure that there is one human being accountable for one task. And that sounds silly, but hierarchy in this type of format when you're running this type of event doesn't work well... When you need something, you know exactly who's accountable for that type of role. You pick up the phone and you solve your problems rather than having to go through a bunch of layers of communication."
Hyundai Santa Fe XRT AWD Road Test: Rugged Style Meets Everyday Utility
On underwater car loans hitting their highest share since the pandemic:
"31% of trade-ins for new vehicles carry debt exceeding the vehicle's value... The average amount owed on these underwater vehicles is $7,100. Some cases they're carrying $15,000 or more."
Average monthly payment on the resulting new loans: $932.
If You Only Listen To One
#2633: Hacker Heaven
Tom and Ray trace Caller Andrea's rattling steering column to worn stabilizer links, modeling how to confirm a suspension rattle before committing to any repair.
"Stabilizers are little bolts with a bunch of rubber, thick rubber grommets that go between the stabilizer and the lower control arm. And when one of them breaks, it can cause the stabilizer part of it to bang against the other part when you go over bumps."
By the Numbers
Most-Mentioned Cars
Mention counts across today's episodes; not every car here appears in a dedicated story section.
| Car | Mentions |
|---|---|
| Toyota RAV4 | 4 |
| Jeep Wrangler | 3 |
| Hyundai Palisade | 2 |
| Lucid Air | 2 |
| Ford Mustang | 2 |
| Chevrolet Corvette | 2 |
Trending Terminology
Mention counts across today's episodes; not every term here appears in a dedicated story section.
| Term | Mentions |
|---|---|
| hybrid | 3 |
| oil change | 3 |
| ABS | 3 |
| deferred maintenance | 3 |
| timing belt | 3 |
| plug-in hybrid | 2 |
17 episodes. 163 car mentions. 1219 terms explained. Browse every episode with searchable annotations and plain-language term definitions in the Car Curious app.