Tesla did not address a top shareholder question about free hardware upgrades for Hardware 3 (HW3) owners seeking unsupervised Full Self-Driving (FSD) during its Q3 2026 earnings call. The question, submitted through the Say platform, ranked high among shareholder concerns but was bypassed in favor of lower-ranked topics.
Shareholder Questions and the Skipped HW3 Issue
Tesla collects retail shareholder questions ahead of each earnings call via the Say platform, allowing shareholders to upvote questions with their shares. For the Q3 2026 call, a question about HW3 upgrades for unsupervised FSD ranked fifth, with 557 votes and 652,900 shares.
The question read: “Tesla has acknowledged that HW3 vehicles cannot support unsupervised FSD. When will owners know whether they can upgrade their hardware for free, and when will Tesla provide a clear plan?” Despite its high ranking, Tesla’s head of investor relations, Travis Axelrod, read and answered nine other Say questions, including several that ranked below the HW3 query. The HW3 question was not addressed, and Axelrod closed the segment with, “That’s it for the Say.com questions.”
What Tesla Did Address on the Call
During the call, Tesla answered questions about Cybercab scaling, unsupervised FSD in customer cars, Cybercab ownership, robotaxi and Optimus unit economics, Optimus training data, Optimus revenue, FSD mapping, and factory production rates. Notably, the second question answered was: “When can we anticipate FSD unsupervised in customer cars?”
Ashok Elluswamy, Tesla’s head of AI, responded that the same software running in Model Y robotaxis and the Cybercab will come to customers with FSD v15, and that “somewhere around Q2 next year” the first customer vehicles could join the Robotaxi fleet. However, this timeline applies to newer hardware, not HW3-equipped vehicles.
Background on HW3 and FSD Upgrade Promises
Elon Musk previously stated on the Q1 2026 call that “Hardware 3 simply does not have the capability to achieve unsupervised FSD,” citing an eighth of HW4’s memory bandwidth. In April, Musk mentioned potential ‘microfactories’ in major cities to swap computers and cameras for HW3 owners, and a discounted trade-in. In July, he suggested that upgrading HW3 would make sense “at some point” and floated the idea of skipping HW4 for a next-generation board or AI5, which would be used in Optimus first.
Despite these discussions, Tesla has not provided a clear cost, timeline, or process for HW3 owners. In 2026, HW3 owners received a stripped-down FSD v14 ‘Lite,’ which is a supervised driver assist system, not the unsupervised FSD originally promised.
Legal and Regulatory Context
Tesla sold FSD for up to $15,000 (~AUD 21,348) on the assurance that vehicles already had the necessary hardware. The company now faces class actions in the US, China, and Australia, as well as a Dutch collective claim involving nearly 7,000 HW3 owners. Documents from Dutch regulator RDW show that Tesla only submitted HW4 for FSD approval in Europe.
Why this matters
The skipped HW3 question highlights ongoing uncertainty for owners who purchased FSD with the expectation of future unsupervised capability. Many have yet to receive a clear answer on whether they will get a free hardware upgrade or compensation.
With legal actions underway in multiple countries and regulatory scrutiny increasing, Tesla’s handling of HW3 upgrades could have significant financial and reputational consequences.
What this means for buyers
Current and prospective Tesla owners should be aware that unsupervised FSD will only be available on newer hardware, with no confirmed upgrade path for HW3 vehicles. Those considering FSD purchases should closely monitor Tesla’s official statements and legal developments before making a decision.
Key Specs
- Earnings Call Date: Q3 2026
- Skipped Question Ranking: 5th by shares (557 votes, 652,900 shares)
- FSD Price (as sold): $15,000 (~AUD 21,348)
- HW3 FSD Software: FSD v14 ‘Lite’ (supervised driver assist)
- HW4 FSD Approval: Submitted to RDW for Europe
- Legal Actions: Class actions in US, China, Australia; Dutch collective claim (~7,000 owners)
Images sourced from: snopes.com, pixabay.com
