Tesla’s latest autonomous driving computer system HW4, has begun rolling out in some Model Y vehicles produced at their California factory. However, it’s unclear if HW4 is available in China yet. While Tesla plans to upgrade all new models with HW 4.0, there’s little information on the HW 4.0 installed in the Model Y. Green @greentheonly disassembly of the HW4 Model Y revealed that it’s similar to the HW4 Model X/S, but with some minor differences.
Model Y vehicles from its Fremont factory in California with the latest HW4 installed. The new HW4 hardware is designed to move Tesla towards a vision-based autonomy system and away from its current reliance on radar sensors.
Unfortunately, the Model Y HW4 is a “stripped-down” version, lacking a separate GPU, better sound, and using cheaper non-ECC RAM. Additionally, the orientation of the Ethernet interface is different from that of the Model X/S, and two extra display connectors have been depopulated, HW4 gateway chip and supplier are different from those of the Model X/S (Did Tesla’s Newest Model X’s Come with a Secret new 4D millimeter-wave radar Upgrade?).
The Autopilot board is under evaluation for any interesting differences, while the Model Y’s HW4 hardware removed the three additional camera interfaces previously added to the Model X/S. While it’s possible to change the computer form factor without changing the car frame, Tesla may make other changes as needed.
So, can HW3 cars use HW4 computers? While it’s not necessary to change the frame, other changes are needed. For example, Texas-made Model Ys have a plastic “firewall” that requires another mounting method, even though the boards inside are the same. While there’s a possibility of creating an HW4 form factor for retrofitting to HW3 vehicles, the only HW4 units observed in the wild couldn’t be retrofitted into older HW3 cars.
Tesla’s HW4 has its ups and downs, but retrofitting HW4 to older models isn’t a priority for the company. While the better quality of the side repeater cameras is desirable, it’s not a simple plug-and-play solution for HW3 cars. As Tesla continues to innovate its autonomous driving technology, it remains to be seen what changes and upgrades will come next.
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