Every Tesla update comes filled with smaller improvements that go unlisted in the official release notes. Tesla update 2024.14 was a huge update that brought several new designs such as the new parked visualization and an improved media player, but it also brought a record of 22 changes that went undocumented.
If you love following Tesla software and the changes in each update, you’ll enjoy this list.
Entertainment Apps UI
At one time there was a single 'Entertainment' app which made the tabs make sense
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Tesla Theater, Toybox and Arcade were all part of the "Entertainment" app, even though there were separate icons for each of these services.
With this update, the tabs at the top that let you quickly jump from Arcade to Toybox and Theater have been removed across the three entertainment apps to provide a more streamlined look.
Tesla Theater UI
Tesla Theater now looks a lot nicer
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Tesla Theater app icons have been updated to be much larger. At the top it now says Tesla Theater in large letters to clarify which app you’re in. The icons are now at the bottom of the screen and the app names below the icons have also been removed.
Navigation Path
The path in the navigation now turns gray behind you
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When using the navigation system, the route's path will now turn gray for areas that your vehicle has already completed.
If your vehicle has Premium Connectivity, the path's color ahead of your vehicle will continue to be based on traffic density. If you're not subscribed to Premium Connectivity, then the path will remain blue, while the path behind your vehicle will turn gray.
This is a nice to have improvement which makes it easier to navigate areas where the paths cross.
Driver Profile
Tesla is now encouraging users to create profiles through the Tesla app
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When adding a new Driver profile, Tesla now displays a graphic that encourages users to add a driver profile through the Tesla app, which makes it a cloud-based Tesla Profile. A cloud profile is stored on Tesla's servers and lets you sync and use your profile across your other Tesla vehicles, loaner vehicles or Tesla rentals.
You can still create a local profile that is limited to the vehicle that it's created on.
Cybertruck New Feature Icon
New feature icons turns square on the Cybertruck
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The blue icon that highlights new or improved features after a Tesla update has been updated for the Cybertruck. It's now a simple square that matches the Cybertruck's design.
FSD Version in App
You can now tell which version of FSD you're on through the app
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With Tesla car update 2024.14 or higher, the app will now display the FSD version at the bottom of the app.
Tesla has slowly been adding more software version information to the app. It now displays:
V12 - The vehicle's software version, which is only incremented with large user interface changes. Think of this like Windows 11
2024.14.6 - The vehicle's specific update version, much like one of Windows major updates
FSD 12.3.6 - FSD version number. This could be thought of as the version of Chrome that your vehicle is using.
Vehicle Visualization
Intel users are also getting a slight update to the visualization
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When you're parked and rotate the vehicle in the visualization, there are now dots that you can touch that reveal buttons to access various parts of the vehicle such as the frunk, trunk or charge port.
Vehicles with Intel processors also get the new buttons in this visualization.
Nav App
Tesla now has a dedicated icon for maps
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There's a new icon for the navigation app. The app is available in the All Apps menu and can be pinned to the dock at the bottom of the screen.
Instead of having to minimize apps by swiping down, or tapping the icon for the app that's open, users can now simply tap the Nav icon to go back to Tesla's navigation screen.
Climate Icon
There's also a Climate icon that you can put in the dock
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In the All Apps menu, there is now a Climate icon that you can add to your vehicle's dock. Tapping the button brings up the vehicle's climate menu and is an alternative to tapping the climate temperature.
This may be a new default icon that is placed in the vehicle to make it more obvious to new owners how to access the climate controls.
Explicit Apple Music Content
Apple Music can now block explicit music
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The Explicit Content setting under Audio Settings > Options now also applies to Apple Music in addition to “Streaming” and Apple Podcasts. This is a nice addition for those with young kids.
Pedals & Steering Menu Updated
The Pedals & Steering Menu sees some updates
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The Pedals & Steering Menu is now called Dynamics- which lets you set your acceleration and regeneration levels, stopping mode and more.
Steering Mode has been renamed 'Steering Weight,' and the choices are now Light, Standard and Heavy instead of the previous, Comfort, Standard and Sport. The functionality remains the same.
Quick Controls Updated
Quick Controls have been rearranged and updated for some vehicles
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The Controls menu has been updated to make it easier to find and select various options. The glovebox option has been moved down to make the buttons for Fold Mirrors, Child Lock and Window Lock larger.
The wiper controls now have Off and Auto next to each other instead of at opposite corners. Car Wash Mode has been added to the list of options for the Model 3 and Model Y.
Search Menus
Search is now at the top of the Menu instead of being an option to the left
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The search box in settings has been moved to the top of the menu instead of being the first section.
This creates some additional space and makes the search box persistent since you can now scroll through the sections, which have included WiFi and Bluetooth since update 2024.8.
Sentry Mode Video
Sentry Mode continues to improve
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When a Sentry Mode event is detected, it will now create a one-minute event video file called event.mp4 on your USB drive.
This one-minute video is in addition to the other video files that are already created when there's a Sentry Mode event. It's also the same video that is available in the Tesla app when a Sentry Mode event occurs.
New Media Player
Tesla made some big improvements to the media player
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There’s a new media player that’s larger and easier to use. By increasing the size of the media player, Tesla is now able to fit additional options that were hidden previously, such as EQ and audio settings, the search button and shuffle and repeat options.
The new media player appears while the vehicle is parked, driving or while the visualizations are in full-screen mode.
The media player can be minimized as before, but it now remains in the visualization area as a small strip incase of going down into the dock.
Status Bar Icons
Status bar icons have been rearranged
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The status bar icons have been rearranged when parked so that the driver profile, WiFi and Sentry Mode icons are closer to the driver and the time and temperature readings are further to the right.
New Auto Shift User Interface
The UI for Auto Shift has been updated in the new Model 3
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The Auto Shift user interface has been updated to be more compact so that it doesn't take up the entire left side of the screen.
It now leaves room above for the gear indicator and doesn't go all the way down to allow for a larger media player.
Charging Display
The charging meter is now on the left side
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While your vehicle is charging, the screen will now display additional information about the vehicle's charging status.
It includes the charge limit, current power, total energy added, number of phases, and the current amperage and voltage.
There is also a new animation on the left side where the new power meter appears while driving. This vertical line mimics the vertical green lights on Tesla's Wall Connector that scroll up and down while the vehicle is charging.
Pause Trunk Opening
You can now pause the trunk opening
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In the vehicle's new visualization, after you tap Open Trunk, you'll now be given the option to "Pause" the trunk opening so that it remains open to the current height.
This could be useful when opening the trunk where there may not be enough overhead space.
You can always set the maximum height for the trunk to open, limiting how far the trunk lid goes up whenever you're at that specific location.
This feature is also available on vehicles with Intel processors as long as the vehicle contains a powered trunk.
Larger Speedometer
Speedometer font in update 2024.14
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The font size of the speedometer has been increased, making it easier to see.
Regen Meter
The regen meter is now vertical and on the left side of the display
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The power/regeneration bar in the Model 3 and Model Y is now placed vertically along the left side of the screen instead of horizontally on top.
Improved Autopilot Visualizations
There are more Autopilot visualizations besides having the ability to go full screen
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Autopilot visualizations have been improved while in the standard view or full-screen. The vehicle will now detect and display more vehicles as well as showing when a vehicle's turn signals or brake lights are on.
Improved visualizations are available on Intel and AMD vehicles.
For Tesla owners with vehicles equipped with Hardware 3 (HW3)—once hailed as the key to unlocking autonomy, Robotaxi functionality, and unsupervised Full Self-Driving—the landscape is quickly changing. FSD updates were previously available for HW3 and HW4, but now, HW3 is often excluded from newer FSD updates due to compute and memory constraints. While HW3 vehicles still run a capable version of FSD, they are considerably less smooth than HW4 vehicles.
This has many HW3 owners curious about Tesla’s plans to upgrade these older vehicles, which were once promised to be capable of true autonomy. Let’s take a look at everything Tesla has said and what we should expect.
The HW3 Predicament
Introduced around April 2019, HW3 was a big leap over HW 2.5 and HW 2, with Tesla billing it as the computer that would eventually deliver true self-driving. For a long time, it powered the FSD Beta program. However, as FSD Supervised becomes more complex and data-intensive, particularly with neural networks moving towards an end-to-end AI approach, questions about HW3’s long-term lifespan have grown.
While HW3 vehicles are still receiving FSD updates, with the latest version, V12.6, launching in January 2025, the latest improvements in FSD v13 appear to be stretching even the more modern capabilities of AI4 hardware. This has understandably led to concerns that HW3 will not support Robotaxis and true autonomy.
Tesla’s HW3 Upgrade Promise
To address these concerns, Elon Musk has made increasingly definitive statements. After initially suggesting an upgrade would happen "if needed," he confirmed at the Q4 2025 Earnings Call that Tesla will upgrade HW3 computers for customers who purchased the FSD package.
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.”
While Musk initially stated that Tesla would offer a hardware upgrade if needed, he gave more details this time, stating that the complimentary upgrade would be available for those who purchased the FSD package. Subscribers and non-subscribers will likely need to pay a fee similar to the HW 2 / HW 2.5 upgrade. Interestingly, Tesla was later sued for charging a fee to upgrade to HW3 and had to waive the cost.
When Will the HW3 Upgrade Be Available?
Despite Musk’s confirmation of an upgrade, Tesla hasn’t provided any timelines or estimates for HW3 retrofits. The prevailing logic, and one that aligns with Tesla’s approach to engineering challenges, is that the company is unlikely to initiate a mass upgrade program until FSD is significantly closer to being “solved,” meaning it has achieved true, unsupervised autonomy where a driver is not needed.
Until Tesla knows the final, stable computing power and architectural requirements needed for that level of autonomy, rolling out an interim upgrade wouldn’t make sense. It would risk needing yet another upgrade down the line. Therefore, HW3 owners are in a waiting game - will they wait it out, or will they take one of Tesla’s FSD transfer deals?
What to Expect With the HW3 Upgrade
One thing is clear. The upgrade will not be a simple swap to the current generation of HW4 hardware. AI4, as found in newer Tesla vehicles, has different physical dimensions, power and cooling requirements, and connector configurations that make it incompatible as a direct retrofit into HW3-designed vehicles. It’d require a lot of effort and cost to adapt HW4 for HW3 vehicles.
This means Tesla will have to develop another custom-designed retrofit FSD computer specifically for HW3 replacements. This computer must fit within an existing and defined physical space and operate within the power and cooling budget of older vehicles.
Speculation naturally turns to Tesla’s next-generation FSD hardware, HW5 or AI5. Elon previously indicated that AI5 would appear in new vehicles near the end of 2025, initially citing a timeframe of 12-18 months back in mid-2023. However, it now looks like it’ll ship sometime in the first half of 2026.
Potentially, a variant of this new AI5 computer, perhaps a more power-efficient or underclocked version, could be engineered to form the basis of the HW3 retrofit solution. This is plausible, as newer chip architectures often bring considerably greater efficiency, potentially allowing a more powerful new design to operate within HW3’s constraints.
What About HW4 and HW5?
The current-generation FSD computer, HW4, is already facing some constraints with the latest FSD v13 updates. This means buyers and owners of AI4 vehicles are also starting to have this question creep into the back of their heads… “What about my vehicle?”
Based on Tesla’s official statements on AI5, it is poised to be a powerhouse of an upgrade. That means up to 10 times the processing capability of AI4. This is an immense increase in processing power, and over time, Tesla will likely use every bit of it to make FSD handle as many edge cases as possible. While AI4’s computing power was a modest increase from HW3, the leap from AI4 to AI5 is expected to be significantly larger.
Tesla’s executive team has stated that the existing cameras on HW3-equipped vehicles are “capable” and that the upgrade will be focused on the FSD computer. While the AI4 cameras offer a much higher resolution than HW3, Tesla says they’re not needed. This appears to contradict what Tesla is doing as of FSD v13.2. In that update, Tesla introduced processing FSD camera feeds at full resolution, suggesting that there is some advantage to the higher-resolution cameras.
Musk also stated that cameras would not be upgraded in HW3 vehicles.
As we’ve previously covered, the newer HW4 cameras offer several advantages over the HW3 camera generation, which include:
Higher Resolution: The AI4 cameras feature 5 megapixels, compared to the 1.2 megapixels on HW3 cameras, which allows the vehicle to see things further away and in sharper detail.
Improved Dynamic Range and Low-Light Performance: The improved dynamic range allows the system to see more clearly in low-light conditions, such as during sunrise or sunset, or at night.
Wider Field of View: The rear camera on AI4 features a significantly larger field of view, providing greater awareness of the vehicle's surroundings.
It's known that AI4 processes camera data at these higher resolutions, which undoubtedly contributes to its increased performance in decision-making, object recognition (especially at a distance or for small details, such as text on signs), and overall FSD smoothness.
Therefore, while a new, more powerful retrofit computer for HW3 vehicles will bring substantial improvements, it will still be processing input from the older-generation cameras. Another technical challenge that Tesla will need to address is how to maximize FSD performance using the existing HW3 cameras.
Infotainment (MCU) Upgrade?
Most HW3-era vehicles are equipped with the older Intel Atom-based infotainment computer, known as MCU 2. Newer Teslas, as well as newer HW3 vehicles, use the considerably faster AMD Ryzen-based MCU 3. Given that Tesla sometimes packages the FSD computer and infotainment computer together, it wouldn’t be too surprising to see an MCU upgrade as part of an FSD computer retrofit.
While this would be a welcome improvement, providing a snappier user interface and better media capabilities, Tesla has not confirmed any such plans. The FSD computer and the MCU are technically separate systems, but Tesla usually bundles them together to save on costs. While Tesla has offered paid MCU upgrades in the past (e.g., from the older MCU 1 to MCU 2), there is currently no official upgrade path from MCU 2 to MCU 3.
It’s best to assume that the promised free FSD computer upgrade will not automatically include an infotainment system upgrade as well, but it’s certainly possible, given that Tesla usually bundles these together.
Playing the Waiting Game
For Tesla owners who purchased FSD with their HW3 vehicles, the commitment for a free hardware upgrade is on the record. However, the "when" and "what" remain tied to the challenge of achieving true, unsupervised autonomy. Once Tesla understands the compute power required to solve FSD, we’ll likely hear more about this hardware upgrade. Until then, we’ll have to hold on tight with FSD v12.6.
In just 8 months, Tesla has gone from breaking ground to delivering electrons at its most ambitious Supercharger project to date, just in time to be ready for the busy Fourth of July holiday weekend. Project Oasis, the world’s largest Supercharger site, is now partially open to customers for its first phase in Lost Hills, California.
What makes this remarkable is the speed of execution. In just eight months, Tesla has constructed a site that will eventually feature 168 stalls (84 stalls are now open), supported by 11 MW of solar power and 10 Megapacks of battery storage. That construction speed is pretty impressive, but what is even more impressive is how this new station operates and what it means for future Supercharging infrastructure.
Self-Sufficient Energy Oasis
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The first 84 stalls at Lost Hills are now open, and according to the Tesla Charging team, they are currently powered solely by the sun and operate off-grid.
This makes it more than just a new Supercharger site. It serves as a proof of concept for a new type of Supercharger. Unlike nearly every other charging site in the world, which draws power from local utilities, this station generates its own clean electricity from its massive solar array and stores it in its array of on-site Megapacks.
Self-sufficient charging stations are something completely different than what we see today. They are highly resilient since they’re not reliant on the grid. That means that even if there is a local power outage, brownout, or blackout, one can always come to Lost Hills to Supercharge.
If you’ve got a Cybertruck, you could take advantage of the Cybertruck’s Powershare feature and charge up at Lost Hills to help keep your home powered during a blackout, utilizing the Cybertruck as a portable battery charger. Now that’s true independence and self-reliance.
The Future of Charging
Solar-powered Superchargers help avoid massive new loads on already stressed electrical grids, especially during peak afternoon and evening hours, when demand is the highest.
This is Tesla’s vision for the future of charging: a clean, fully closed-loop ecosystem that sustains itself. The sun’s energy is captured, stored, and delivered directly to vehicles on site at any time of day without relying on the electrical grid or fossil fuels.
Largest Supercharger in the World
This opening of 84 stalls is just the first phase of the project. Tesla says that the remaining stalls, as well as a new on-site lounge, are coming later this year. Once complete, the 168-stall site will be the largest Supercharger site in the world.
While the speed of building such a massive project in just eight months is a testament to Tesla’s execution, the true innovation is actually that self-sustainability. Let’s hope we see even more large, self-sufficient Supercharger sites across the world in the near future.
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