Tesla's Cyberquad Resurfaces: The Electric ATV Dream is Alive

May 22, 2023

By Kevin Armstrong

A 3D model of Tesla's Cyberquad

Aleks Pogonin

Tesla renews plans, or at least reserves the right to release its electric all-terrain vehicle (ATV), the Cyberquad. The Cyberquad made its first public appearance during the 2019 unveiling of the Cybertruck, leaving the audience fascinated and craving more. Since then, Tesla fans have been eagerly waiting for the ATV's official launch, which seems to be on the horizon now.

When Elon Musk first showcased the Cyberquad, he confirmed it as an optional addition for Cybertruck purchasers. However, as the Cybertruck production faced delays, the Cyberquad's fate remained nebulous. Today, we are seeing indications that Tesla's Cyberquad is back in the game.

A New Trademark Application Fuels Speculation

Speculation around the ATV's production was rekindled as Tesla recently filed for a fresh trademark under the term "Cyberquad". The previous trademark, which expired due to non-commercial use, included rights for "all-terrain vehicles; land vehicles; electric vehicles". Despite seeking two extensions to declare its “statement of use” for the Cyberquad, the company hadn't moved forward until now.

The recent trademark registration reaffirms Tesla's intent not just to produce the Cyberquad but to stick with its catchy, futuristic moniker. With this move, it’s clear that the electric vehicle powerhouse still has plans to add the ATV to its revolutionary lineup.

While concrete details regarding the Cyberquad's specifications and features are still sparse, we know it is designed to fit in the bed of the Cybertruck seamlessly. This pairing offers a tantalizing blend of utility and innovation that could revolutionize the world of off-road exploration.

Cyberquad Reveal

Tesla revealed the Cyberquad at the Cybertruck event in 2019.

Anticipating the Launch Timeline

As for the launch timeline, there are no specific dates available. However, considering the impending production start of the Cybertruck, it would not be surprising if the Cyberquad's debut follows closely.

Tesla's revival of the Cyberquad trademark represents another stride towards a greener and more sustainable future. It's a statement that reflects Tesla's commitment to electrifying all facets of transportation, including adventure and off-road mobility.

Musk Confirms Tesla Will Upgrade HW3 Vehicles for Free - If You Bought FSD

January 30, 2025

By Not a Tesla App Staff

Not a Tesla App

Tesla has been struggling to provide FSD updates for vehicles with Hardware 3 (HW3). What was once thought to be enough compute power to solve autonomy, is no longer able to handle the latest FSD updates.

Yesterday, Tesla finally confirmed that vehicles with HW3 will need to be upgraded to achieve Unsupervised FSD.

HW3 Upgrade Finally Confirmed

Musk had previously suggested that an upgrade might be necessary and Tesla would upgrade these vehicles if needed. However, during yesterday’s earnings call, Musk admitted that HW3 vehicles will, in fact, need to be upgraded. Tesla said that these upgrades will be performed free of charge for owners who have purchased the FSD package, leaving subscribers wondering what will happen to their cars.

Musk stated, “That's going to be painful and difficult, but we'll get it done. Now I'm kinda glad that not that many people bought the FSD package haha.” This appears to confirm that Tesla doesn’t plan on upgrading HW3 on vehicles that subscribe to FSD.

What About Subscription-Based FSD Owners?

While there are a lot of questions, one of the bigger ones is what happens to owners who have subscribed to FSD. Tesla didn’t touch on the topic, but if they’re not planning to upgrade HW3 subscribers, then they could potentially offer a paid retrofit. When the Model 3 was first released, it came standard with HW 2.5. At the time, Tesla said that you won’t need anything better unless you plan to buy FSD. Tesla ended up upgrading owners who had bought FSD for free, but non-FSD owners were required to pay for an upgrade.

Based on previous hardware upgrades—such as the HW2.5 to HW3 transition—a paid upgrade could cost between $1,000 to $3,000. However, it’s not clear what the upgrade to HW3 vehicles will be or how much it will cost even if a paid upgrade becomes available.

FSD on HW3

Musk also hinted that FSD was not selling as well as Tesla had hoped, which likely influenced the introduction of subscription-based FSD.

Meanwhile, Tesla continues to improve HW3-based FSD. FSD V12.6 offers major improvements in smoothness and is considered a “baby V13” with notable improvements over V12.5.4.2. Reverse capabilities are also expected to arrive in a future release for HW3 vehicles, so Tesla hasn’t stopped development just yet. However, Musk was clear that HW3 will continue to lag behind HW4 releases moving forward.

FSD V14 and the Future of HW3

Tesla has stated that FSD V14 will be another significant step toward achieving Unsupervised FSD. The increasing complexity of FSD models and their growing context sizes mean that HW3 is already not able to run the larger FSD V13 models, but according to Tesla, V14 will increase the AI model even further, making it nearly impossible to run on HW3. As AI models become increasingly larger and AI5’s impending arrival approaches, one wonders how long before HW4 can’t run the latest models.

However, Tesla appears confident that HW4 will be sufficient, given its plans to launch FSD-powered robotaxis later this year.

What Will the HW3 Upgrade Look Like?

While Tesla has confirmed the HW3 upgrade, specific details remain unknown. We know that it won’t just be an upgrade to hardware 4 since that computer consumes more power than HW3’s electrical harness can provide, and it also has a different form factor, making retrofitting difficult.

Instead, Tesla will likely have to develop a new FSD hardware unit tailored for the retrofit or modify existing components to fit HW3-equipped vehicles. The hardware will need to be at least as computationally capable as HW4, but use the power of a HW3 unit.

Tesla has also said that it has no plans to replace cameras during the upgrade, despite HW3 cameras having significantly lower resolutions than HW4’s. While Tesla appears confident that this won’t be an issue, owners have reasons to be concerned as Tesla recently increased video processing resolution on HW4 cameras to improve FSD performance.

Tesla’s confirmation of an HW3 upgrade certainly makes more owners comfortable. However, the lack of details leaves subscribers and others wondering what will happen to their vehicles. It also doesn’t do much to ease the frustration of dealing with slower and less capable FSD releases, especially when they pay the same amount as HW4 owners, who receive more features and a smoother ride.

While free upgrades will be available for those who bought FSD outright, subscription-based owners are left in limbo, with no details on potential paid upgrade options.

With FSD V14 on the horizon and HW3 vehicles already struggling with the latest models, this upgrade will be crucial to keep existing owners happy.

Teslas Now Drive Themselves From Factory to Delivery Lot [VIDEO]

January 30, 2025

By Not a Tesla App Staff

Not a Tesla App

Tesla continues to find efficiencies that lower vehicle production costs. In fact, at their earnings call, Tesla announced that their cost of goods (COGs) are now the lowest they’ve ever been. The other day, Tesla completed the Cybertunnel, an underground tunnel that goes underneath a highway, making it easier to get Cybertrucks to their loading lot, and now they’re incorporating FSD into the process.

Tesla announced that newly built vehicles at its Fremont factory now autonomously drive themselves from the end of the production line to the logistics lot, where they are prepared for delivery. This again increases efficiency and lowers vehicle costs.

Unsupervised FSD

Tesla isn’t just using FSD for this. For the first time outside of testing and the Robotaxi event, Tesla is using Unsupervised FSD.

While Unsupervised FSD is not yet ready for widespread public use, Tesla has implemented it in a controlled setting on private property. Without human intervention, the vehicles navigate a 1.2-mile route from the Fremont factory to their designated loading dock lanes. This allows Tesla to refine the software in a real-world environment while avoiding regulatory hurdles that apply to public roads.

Starting with the ~1.2 mile route at the Fremont factory pic.twitter.com/avgSpBxb4j
— Tesla AI (@Tesla_AI) January 29, 2025

Cameras Calibrated at Factory

One hurdle Tesla needed to overcome was camera calibration. Vehicles typically need to be driven for 20-25 miles on clearly marked roads for the cameras to be calibrated. Only once this process is complete, does FSD become available to the driver.

This meant that new owners weren’t able to experience FSD right after delivery and instead usually needed to wait a day or two before calibration was completed. However, Tesla now calibrates the cameras at the factory with presumably new methods so that the vehicle doesn’t need to be driven a bunch of miles before FSD is ready.

Calibration is now done automatically as the vehicle moves through the manufacturing line.
— Ashok Elluswamy (@aelluswamy) January 29, 2025

Expansion to Giga Texas and the Cybertunnel

With Tesla’s Fremont factory successfully deploying Unsupervised FSD, attention now turns to Giga Texas and other factories globally. Fresh lane markings have recently been noticed at the logistics lot in Texas, suggesting that Tesla may soon introduce a similar process there.

Tesla recently completed the Cybertunnel, an underground tunnel connecting Giga Texas to the Cybertruck’s loading area. This tunnel shortens transportation time for Cybertrucks moving from the production floor to the logistics lot. When Tesla shared the Cybertunnel video, you could clearly see employees driving the Cybertrucks through the tunnel, but it’s likely just a matter of time before Cybertrucks navigate the Cybertunnel autonomously.

This new move by Tesla helps them continue testing and refining Unsupervised FSD while also reducing costs by eliminating manual driving from production to shipping lots. It also improves the new customer experience by having cameras calibrated and FSD ready to go at delivery. Tesla said years ago that one day, you’ll be able to order a Tesla, and it’ll drive itself to you. This process would further eliminate costs and speed up delivery times. While this may still be years away, it seems like we’re now one step closer.