Firmware
Tesla Autopilot 2.0 hardware possibly spotted on Model S test mule
Following the refresh of the Model S last month, there has been much speculation about whether or not “that was it” or if Tesla still has some arrows in its quiver. The mere suggestion that more “cowbells” could be coming has put prospective owners a-quivering too, as the on-going debate continues as to when is the best time to buy?
This sighting of what appears to be a test mule in Pennsylvania won’t help those still on the fence. Spotted by Darren Schilberg at the Cranberry Supercharger north of Pittsburgh, the two-toned Model S appears to be a platform for the next generation Autopilot 2.0. The underlying car is a pre-refresh Model S, as distinguished by its plastic rocker panels and headlights. The new Model S fascia has been substituted on the nose, but with concessions to the older car’s Autopilot sensors by way of cut-outs in the bumper.
Standing proud on a bracket is what looks to be a duplicate piece of fascia. The contours of this extra piece are hard to match exactly to those on the refreshed S bumper but given the additional height, it seems plausible that it could be filling in for the higher Model X bumper. Behind that additional fascia piece is another sensor module of some kind.
On the refreshed Model S, the forward facing radar is internal to the fascia, but here again the radar of the older test car is clearly visible still lurking in the lower air intake area. The presence of so many sensors– seemingly overlapping– on the front of this Model S suggests Tesla could be trying to accelerate their development time on Autopilot 2.0. The original Autopilot system is clearly present and wired in (the cabling for the radar is visible and there are holes for the ultrasonic sensors in the fascia).
The refreshed Model S fascia wasn’t put on for fun as the non-matching paint is hardly stealthy. It seems likely the refresh’s sensor suite is still perched behind the updated fascia– and perhaps even replaced with a new sensor suite to test its compatibility with the new S fascia. The elevated chunk of fascia appears to be at the right ride height for a Model X… which then raises the bar significantly.
Could it be that Tesla’s engineers are able to run the “legacy” Autopilot, current Model S and X Autopilot and also be testing Autopilot 2.0 sensors concurrently?
The ability to compare data from multiple iterations and generations of sensors under identical test conditions would be highly advantageous to say the least.
Ah, but I’ve saved the best for last! Look closely at and through that windshield from the first picture in this article. There are more cameras there than in the White House Press Room. It’s hard to make out what is going through all those reflections, but there are a lot of lenses there. The current Autopilot camera is in its normal place. Below it is a platform bracket of some kind though it’s impossible to see if anything is on top of it. Clearly visible to the passenger’s side, in front of the sun visor, is a silver camera lens. On the driver’s side there is a suction cup mount with a dual-lens camera of some kind– it looks like a pair of small binoculars. Slung under the bracket is a very large centered lens that looks a lot like a police car’s dashcam. Finally, on the driver’s side of the large lens is a smaller unit that looks like it’s facing to the side of the road. None of those additional cameras are part of the current Autopilot sensor suite for either the S or the X.
Potentially what we have then, is a single vehicle that can serve as an ideal platform for testing Autopilot’s past, present and future. Not just the sensors and cameras– but new versions of firmware too. Think of all the vetting that has to be done for releasing new firmware across different generations of Model S, plus the X. Here could be a real-time, toggle-switch equipped way to measure the system’s parameters under identical road/weather/light conditions.
So it could “just” be Autopilot 2.0, but who knows when it would be in production, so do you decide to buy now? Or maybe “coming soon” is just a few months’ wait from now?
Or it could be something much, much more… It could be “Part 2” of the Model 3 reveal.
We’re deep in speculation already, so what do you think we’re looking at?
Tesla announced its Spring 2026 software update, and it’s the most feature-dense seasonal release the company has put out. The update covers twelve named changes spanning FSD, voice AI, safety lighting, dashcam storage, and pet display customization, among other things.
The centerpiece for owners with AI4 hardware is a redesigned Self-Driving app. The new interface lets owners subscribe to Full Self-Driving with a single tap and view ongoing FSD usage stats directly in the vehicle.
Grok gets its biggest in-car upgrade yet. The update adds a “Hey Grok” hands-free wake word along with location-based reminders, so a driver can now say “remind me to pick up groceries when I get home” without touching the screen. Grok first arrived in vehicles in July 2025, but each update has pushed it closer to genuine daily utility. Musk framed the broader vision clearly at Davos in January, saying Tesla is “really moving into a future that is based on autonomy.”
On safety, the update introduces enhanced blind spot warning lights that integrate directly with the cabin’s ambient lighting, building on the blind spot door warning that arrived in update 2026.8.
Dog Mode has been renamed Pet Mode and now lets owners choose a dog, cat, or hedgehog icon and add their pet’s name to the display.
Dashcam retention now extends up to 24 hours, up from the previous one-hour rolling loop, with a permanent save option for any clip. Weather maps now show rain and snow with better color differentiation and include the past hour of precipitation data along the route.
Tesla has now established a clear rhythm of two major OTA pushes per year. As with last year’s Spring update, that cycle started taking shape in 2025 with adaptive headlights and trunk customization. The 2025 Holiday Update then added Grok to the vehicle for the first time. This Spring follows that structure: the Holiday update introduces new architecture, and the Spring update broadens it across the fleet.
Two notable features still did not make it. IFTTT automations, which launched in China earlier this year, were held back from this North American release for unknown reasons, and Apple CarPlay remains absent, reportedly still delayed by iOS 26 and Apple Maps compatibility issues.
Below is the full list of feature updates released by Tesla.
— Tesla (@Tesla) April 13, 2026
It appears that Tesla may be preparing to roll out some subscription-based services soon. Based on the observations of a Wales-based Model 3 owner who performed some reverse-engineering on the Tesla mobile app, it seems that the electric car maker has added a new “Subscribe” option beside the “Buy” option within the “Upgrades” tab, at least behind the scenes.
A screenshot of the new option was posted in the r/TeslaMotors subreddit, and while the Tesla owner in question, u/Callump01, admitted that the screenshot looks like something that could be easily fabricated, he did submit proof of his reverse-engineering to the community’s moderators. The moderators of the r/TeslaMotors subreddit confirmed the legitimacy of the Model 3 owner’s work, further suggesting that subscription options may indeed be coming to Tesla owners soon.
Did some reverse engineering on the app and Tesla looks to be preparing for subscriptions? from r/teslamotors
Tesla’s Full Self-Driving suite has been heavily speculated to be offered as a subscription option, similar to the company’s Premium Connectivity feature. And back in April, noted Tesla hacker @greentheonly stated that the company’s vehicles already had the source codes for a pay-as-you-go subscription model. The Tesla hacker suggested then that Tesla would likely release such a feature by the end of the year — something that Elon Musk also suggested in the first-quarter earnings call. “I think we will offer Full Self-Driving as a subscription service, but it will be probably towards the end of this year,” Musk stated.
While the signs for an upcoming FSD subscription option seem to be getting more and more prominent as the year approaches its final quarter, the details for such a feature are still quite slim. Pricing for FSD subscriptions, for example, have not been teased by Elon Musk yet, though he has stated on Twitter that purchasing the suite upfront would be more worth it in the long term. References to the feature in the vehicles’ source code, and now in the Tesla mobile app, also listed no references to pricing.
The idea of FSD subscriptions could prove quite popular among electric car owners, especially since it would allow budget-conscious customers to make the most out of the company’s driver-assist and self-driving systems without committing to the features’ full price. The current price of the Full Self-Driving suite is no joke, after all, being listed at $8,000 on top of a vehicle’s cost. By offering subscriptions to features like Navigate on Autopilot with automatic lane changes, owners could gain access to advanced functions only as they are needed.
Elon Musk, for his part, has explained that ultimately, he still believes that purchasing the Full Self-Driving suite outright provides the most value to customers, as it is an investment that would pay off in the future. “I should say, it will still make sense to buy FSD as an option as in our view, buying FSD is an investment in the future. And we are confident that it is an investment that will pay off to the consumer – to the benefit of the consumer.” Musk said.
Tesla has started rolling out update 2020.36 this weekend, introducing a couple of notable new features for its vehicles. While there are only a few handful of vehicles that have reportedly received the update so far, 2020.36 makes it evident that the electric car maker has made some strides in its efforts to refine its driver-assist systems for inner-city driving.
Tesla is currently hard at work developing key features for its Full Self-Driving suite, which should allow vehicles to navigate through inner-city streets without driver input. Tesla’s FSD suite is still a work in progress, though the company has released the initial iterations of key features such Traffic Light and Stop Sign Control, which was introduced last April. Similar to the first release of Navigate on Autopilot, however, the capabilities of Traffic Light and Stop Sign Control were pretty basic during their initial rollout.
2020.36 Showing Speed Limit Signs in Visualization from r/teslamotors
With the release of update 2020.36, Tesla has rolled out some improvements that should allow its vehicles to handle traffic lights better. What’s more, the update also includes a particularly useful feature that enables better recognition of speed limit signs, which should make Autopilot’s speed adjustments better during use. Following are the Release Notes for these two new features.
Green Traffic Light Chime
“A chime will play when the traffic light you are waiting for turns green. If you are waiting behind another car, the chime will play once the car advances unless Traffic-Aware Cruise Control or Autosteer is active. When Traffic Light and Stop Sign Control is activated, a chime will play when you can confirm to proceed through a green traffic light. To enable, tap Controls > Autopilot > Green Traffic Light Chime.
“Note: This chime is only designed as a notification. It is the driver’s responsibility to observe their environment and make decisions accordingly.”
Speed Assist Improvements
“Speed Assist now leverages your car’s cameras to detect speed limit signs to improve the accuracy of speed limit data on local roads. Detected speed limit signs will be displayed in the driving visualization and used to set the associated Speed Limit Warning.
“As usual, to adjust Speed Assist settings, tap Controls > Autopilot > Speed Limit.”
Footage of the new green light chime in action via @NASA8500 on Twitter ✈️ from r/teslamotors
Amidst the rollout of 2020.36’s new features, speculations were abounding among Tesla community members that this update may include the first pieces of the company’s highly-anticipated Autopilot rewrite. Inasmuch as the idea is exciting, however, Tesla CEO Elon Musk has stated that this was not the case. While responding to a Tesla owner who asked if the Autopilot rewrite is in “shadow mode” in 2020.36, Musk responded “Not yet.”
Tesla is sending its humanoid Optimus robot to the Boston Marathon
Tesla expands Unsupervised Robotaxi service to two new cities
