Did you miss Tesla’s biggest event since its inception? No worries, we have you covered.
We’ve got a straightforward and easy-to-digest recap below, split and organized by sections. Of course, we’ll dive into some of the bigger subjects in detail over the upcoming days, so stay tuned!
Event Info
Tesla’s We, Robot event was centered on the future of autonomy
5 “neighbourhoods” were created
Westworld offered Texas BBQ and the stage for the event
Metropolis had arcade games, and the ability to take a swing at Cybertruck
TSLA Theater had pizza and desserts, as well as a movie on a gigantic screen
New York brought a block party with live music and street performers, as well as street snacks
Finally, the last area was Merch – which, surprise – offered Tesla Merch, including gear, apparel, posters, and more
Elon Musk arrived in style in a Robotaxi to kick off the event
Master Plan Part 4 Reference Poster
Jowua on X
General/Master Plan Part 4
The event made multiple references to Master Plan Part 4, but we haven’t seen the official document yet
Today’s transportation infrastructure is too expensive, not safe, and not sustainable
10 hours a week of use of consumer vehicles out of 168 hours a week
Unsupervised Full Self Driving – Fall asleep and wake up at your destination
Increased free time for humans
Goal is to remove parking lots, as less will be needed in the future of autonomous vehicles
Create green space in the cities we live in
AI Poster
Jowua on X
Robotaxi/Cybercab
Not a Tesla App
The Cybercab has 2 doors, 2 seats, and is a 4-wheeler, as expected
It has a front and rear lightbar, similar to Cybertruck
Painted aluminum (not stainless steel)
No rear or top glass
No steering wheel or pedals
Butterfly doors
Large center screen
Has large, hatch-like trunk
20 vehicles produced and ready at the event, with 30 additional Model Ys
Autonomous vehicles will be 10x safer than humans
Low cost for autonomous transit; $1/mi for buses, Cybercab around $0.2/mi ($0.4 after taxes and fees)
Will be available for purchase
Will cost below $30,000 USD
One person will be able to take care of a small fleet easily
Cybercab production begins before 2027
Comes with inductive charging
Tesla Social Media mentioned Fleet Management software
Tesla showed off an automated cleaning system in the video, vacuuming the vehicle, wiping the seats and screens
CyberCab will still be Vision-only, no need for radar or LiDAR
Call it once, and its available for you all day, for either quick trips or long trips
Elon Musk Poster
Sawyer Merrit on X
RoboVan
Tesla showed off a fully autonomous RoboVan with no front window
Up to 20 people or can be set up for goods transport
RoboVan has a Cyber aesthetic as well
Large glass sliding doors
Tesla seems to be going all-in on this aesthetic for its future vehicles
RoboVan can be adapted to school bus or RV use
RoboVan can also be adapted for personal use – this suggests it could be outfitted with a steering wheel and pedals
The CyberVan arriving
Not a Tesla App
AI and Hardware
Unsupervised FSD in Texas and California in 2025, with Model 3 and Model Y
Unsupervised FSD for S, X, and CT in the future
AI has lived “a million lives” so it’s been trained on numerous odd situations
Always pays attention and is always fully aware of its surroundings
10-30x safer than humans
Focus on Tesla Vision – full autonomy, unsupervised for S, 3, X, Y, and CT
Cybercab will have AI5, will have oversized compute compared to what’s required according to Musk
Distributed inference compute brought up again
No news on inductive charging for other vehicles
The Optimus Poster
Jowua on X
Optimus
Optimus was brought out on stage again, walked with remote human assistance
Attendees were allowed to interact with Optimus robots
Optimus robots served drinks at the bar
Expected to cost $20K-$30K USD
Will eventually be an autonomous robotic assistant that can help with household tasks
It can also be a humanoid friend, teacher, babysitter, etc.
Elon mentioned the risks of AI Super Intelligence, and having to address it
At the event, people could talk and interact with the Optimus units on the ground. Optimus movements were remotely assisted by humans. The robots voices also appear to have be humans that were in a remote location.
Guests were not allowed to touch the Optimus units in the crowd
Another poster referencing Master Plan IV.
Jowua on X
If you missed the event, you can watch it below.
Subscribe
Subscribe to our newsletter to stay up to date on the latest Tesla news, upcoming features and software updates.
The reports of HW3’s death have been greatly exaggerated. With FSD V12.6.1 finally beginning to make its way to HW3 Model Ys, Tesla’s AI team is still hard at work improving FSD on Hardware 3 vehicles - and we’ve definitely seen a great step forward since V12.5 with the latest releases.
While Model 3 vehicles are still waiting for V12.6.1 to roll out to them, we’re already looking at the future of new features on HW3.
Reverse Confirmed
In a post on X, Elon Musk confirmed that reverse would be making its way to Hardware 3 vehicles soon. He jokingly pointed out that it probably stresses out the AI model quite a bit. The path planner currently thinks it can reverse, putting the vehicle in situations where it’s required to reverse, such as lining up for a three point turn. Right now FSD will draw squiggly lines all over the screen with its path planner.
FSD usually won’t give up until it really cannot move any further - it will inch as far forward as it can, and try planning the path to a three-point-turn. For now, FSD on HW3 vehicles isn’t allowed to shift in reverse outside of AutoPark, so it can’t continue and will stall out, waiting for a user intervention.
With FSD V13 for HW4, we saw vehicles gain the ability to Unpark, reverse and start FSD from park. It’s possible that when HW3 vehicles gain the ability to reverse, it may also include some of these other abilities, which truly start making FSD seem human-like.
Cybertruck’s FSD Too
As an aside, the Cybertruck’s build of FSD V13.2 is also not capable of reversing just yet. While the Cybertruck can AutoPark, it cannot Unpark, Park, or be Actually Smart Summoned quite yet - among other missing features.
Tesla’s official Cybertruck account also commented on Elon’s post - mentioning it's like an itch that can’t be scratched. Here’s hoping that Cybertruck also gets the chance to reverse soon as well.
All in all, it’s a big positive that Elon, as well as Tesla’s VP of AI - Ashok Elluswamy - have continued to acknowledge that changes and improvements for FSD on Hardware 3 vehicles are still coming. With this, and the knowledge that Tesla could potentially look at a hardware retrofit in the future if they can’t achieve Unsupervised FSD, we feel like it is far too early to say Hardware 3 is dead.
The question is - will the new Reverse feature push the build to V13? Or will we see FSD V12.7 next? Let us know what you think in the forums or on social media.
Tesla vehicles rely heavily on external cameras for their advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) and the future of fully autonomous robotaxis. However, driving in bad weather presents a significant challenge: keeping those cameras clean. Without a reliable cleaning solution, Robotaxis, which depend entirely on vision, cannot function safely and effectively.
Tesla owner Chuck Cook recently brought up this issue on X, saying to the Tesla AI team, “While I agree cleaning cameras while supervised is definitely something we need to consider... having an official post from @Tesla_AI about cleaning our own cameras is a bit concerning. You have a plan for this, right? Unsupervised can’t have customers wiping cameras.”
The Tesla_AI team responded, “On a more serious note, a more comprehensive cleaning solution is being worked on.”
Front Cameras
With the redesigned 2025 Model Y, Tesla introduced a front-facing camera, joining the Cybertruck in this regard. The Model S and Model X are also slated to receive this upgrade in the future and we eventually expect all Tesla vehicles to come with one standard.
Camera Washers
While the addition of a front camera is a step forward, it introduces another yet camera that needs to be cleaned.
Currently, the Cybertruck is the only known Tesla model equipped with a dedicated camera washer. This system drips water onto the front camera lens, allowing the wind to blow the moisture away. While it’s a simple and effective feature, it’s unclear whether Tesla implemented a similar feature in the new Model Y.
Rear Camera Shield
Sawyer Merritt/X
Tesla recently added a small shield around the rear camera to reduce the amount of dirt and water splashing onto the lens. Additionally, the rear camera on the new Model Y was relocated from above the license plate to the trunk lid. This repositioning presumably helps keep the lens cleaner by reducing its exposure to road spray.
While these adjustments are helpful, they don’t fully solve the issue, especially in harsher environments with constant rain, snow, or road debris.
Potential Solutions
There are several possible ways Tesla could address this issue:
Camera Washers: Expanding the Cybertruck’s washer feature to all external cameras or at least to the rear camera could provide a straightforward solution for keeping lenses clean.
Lens Coatings: Applying special coatings that repel water, dirt, and debris could reduce buildup on camera lenses. However, these coatings would still have limitations in extreme weather conditions.
Software Alerts: Software already notifies drivers when a camera is obstructed or dirty, but this wouldn’t solve the issue without a hardware solution to physically clean the lens.
Given that the new Model Y has already been announced, it doesn’t sound like Tesla incorporated a “comprehensive” solution to the dirty camera issue.
Tesla’s Solution?
Tesla’s mention of working on a “comprehensive cleaning solution” raises questions about what’s in development. The new Model Y doesn’t appear to feature anything we’d classify as comprehensive, and it’s unclear whether it even has a front camera washer like the Cybertruck.
One potential solution could tie into Tesla’s Robotaxi plans. Tesla is building hubs for its Robotaxis, where vehicles can be cleaned and maintained using robotic systems. These cleaning hubs could include robotic arms that wipe down exterior cameras when needed.
While this approach may work for Robotaxis in most situations, it doesn’t address the needs of private Tesla owners who rely on their vehicles daily. Tesla may assume that individual owners can manually clean their cameras as needed.
