Tesla Reverses Hardware Compatibility Promise; Owners Face Upgrade Costs

Tesla has reversed its commitment to lifetime compatibility with Hardware 3 compute platforms (2019–2023 vehicles), acknowledging that millions of owners cannot run future Full Self-Driving software without paid hardware upgrades. The company plans regional assembly hubs to handle retrofits, dedicating part of its $25 billion 2026 capital budget to the effort. Pricing and timeline remain undisclosed.