Investor's Corner
Tesla Autopilot Option May Cost $67k to Retrofit
Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock for the last few weeks you’ve likely been blasted with news about the Tesla Autopilot option. Like many existing Model S owners, I drooled over the thought of having the dual motor option along (the “D”) and the autopilot / automatic cruise control (ACC).
RELATED: A First-hand Account of the Tesla D Event
This led to a very public outcry by a group of soon-to-be Model S owners that happened to miss the mark by placing their order days before the new features were announced. In other words, their Model S won’t be bundled with these new Tesla D options.
I digress but I personally think they need to get over it. Technology advances continuously (especially with Mr. Musk behind the wheel) and your choice to purchase the car at the time that you do is just that – your decision.
So, what if you could upgrade your existing Model S with the Tesla D options? How much would something like that cost?
Labor is Costly
Tesla’s official answer on whether Tesla Autopilot can be retrofitted is “No” and that is not going to change anytime soon. The changes are extensive, invasive and need to be done when the car is being built.
Our friend TeslaTap estimates that it would cost a staggering $67,000 if Tesla were to retrofit older Model S with the autopilot feature.
It’s less labor intensive and more economical if one were to integrate the hardware and electronics during the construction of the Model S versus having to dismantle the vehicle, build new mounting provisions, re-wire, installing new hardware, and reassemble the car after the upgrades were in place.
A retrofit just doesn’t make economical or logistical sense and is likely why Tesla does not offer it as an option for existing Model S owners. Let alone, Tesla Service Centers wouldn’t be equipped or have the capacity to handle such an extensive retrofit.
What Would a Tesla Autopilot Retrofit Consist Of?
For starters, the Model S would need to be completely re-wired to account for the autopilot hardware consisting of long-range radars, ultrasonic sensors, new camera equipment and new front nose cone sensors. The entire front and rear fascia of the vehicle would also need to be removed in order to access the new mounting position. The Tesla D option also brings new electric brakes – all-around – and electronic brake controllers to be paired with the autopilot feature.
TeslaTap estimates that the cost of parts would run somewhere around $20k – not too terrible considering this would represent approximately 15% of the price of a fully loaded Model S. But, the kicker? Labor. 269 hours of it.
Tesla Service Centers bill at $175/ hour which tacks on an additional $47,075 in labor costs. This brings a grand total of over $67,000 for parts and labor if one were to truly consider retrofitting Tesla autopilot to the Model S.
It’s no wonder why Tesla Motors will not consider retrofitting existing Model S owners with the new autopilot feature – no matter how loudly they complain. Not retrofitting existing cars will likely create a burgeoning Tesla secondary market.
Hmmm … interesting.
Source: TeslaTap
Elon Musk
SpaceX Starship Flight 13 aborted at Zero and Musk just told us what broke
Four Raptor engines failed to ignite at T-zero, forcing SpaceX to scrub Starship Flight 13 Thursday.
SpaceX scrubbed the Starship Flight 13 launch attempt Thursday evening at the last possible moment, after four of the Super Heavy booster’s 33 Raptor 3 engines failed to ignite during the startup sequence. The 90-minute window had opened at 6:45 p.m. EDT from Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas, and the countdown had proceeded without issue all day, with more than 11.5 million pounds of liquid methane and liquid oxygen being fully loaded into the rocket before the automated abort triggered. SpaceX’s launch directors posted on X, “Standing down from today’s flight test attempt,” and shut down the livestream shortly after.
Musk confirmed the root cause within hours. “Some of the engines didn’t start, triggering an automatic launch abort,” he wrote on X. “To be confident of a good flight, 2 Raptors will be removed and replaced. Most probable launch timing is early next week.” SpaceX engineers began draining propellant tanks immediately and Booster 20 was rolled back to its hangar for inspection.
The timing adds a layer of significance that did not exist during any of the previous 12 Starship flights. This is the first time SpaceX has attempted to launch Starship since the company made its stock market debut in June, listing under ticker SPCX at $135 per share. Public investors are now watching every Starship outcome in real time, and a last-second abort carries more visibility than it would have six months ago.
Flight 13 was designed to be one of the most consequential tests in the program’s history. It was set to carry 20 Starlink V3 satellites, the first operational payload Starship has ever attempted to deploy. Six of those satellites carried external cameras to photograph Starship’s heat shield from the outside during flight, which would act as a self-inspection approach SpaceX has never attempted before. The mission also needed to complete a Raptor engine relight in space, a step SpaceX skipped on Flight 12 in May after losing an engine during ascent. That Flight 12 booster also flipped 90 degrees off course during its boostback burn when five engines failed to reignite.
SpaceX has not announced an official next launch date. Musk’s “early next week” window points to July 21 or 22 at the earliest, pending the engine swap and a return to the pad.
Lucid CEO Silvio Napoli responded to rumors of an imminent bankruptcy that was reportedly being mulled after a report stated the automaker was working with the firm AlixPartners to iron out its next steps.
The company felt a massive loss on Wall Street yesterday, as the report essentially pushed the stock down as much as 55 percent on Tuesday.
The report, published initially by Eletric-Vehicles.com, claimed Lucid was essentially in dire straits and was told by AlixPartners, a commonly used restructuring advisor, to either take shares private or file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.
Lucid’s head of Communications, Nick Twork, immediately challenged the report and stated the company “has sufficient liquidity to carry its operations well into next year.”
Now, the company’s CEO is chiming in as well, stating that the report is “so far from the facts that they require a direct response.”
Napoli said:
“Lucid is not considering bankruptcy or a transaction to take the company private. Those reports are false. The Board did not explore either scenario. Period.
As disclosed in our most recent quarterly filing, Lucid has sufficient liquidity to fund its operations well into next year.
We work with outside advisors to improve operational performance and execution. They are not advising Lucid on a take-private transaction or bankruptcy, and any suggestion that they have recommended either course of action to management or the Board is false.
My priority is clear: turn this company around. That is where the leadership team and I are focused.
I look forward to providing a full update during our quarterly earnings call on August 4th.”
🚨 Lucid CEO Silvio Napoli calls rumors of financial issues “so far from the facts that they require a direct response.”
Read his full remarks here: https://t.co/t3Pg1NHvzy pic.twitter.com/LvHUPhO4Qf
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) July 15, 2026
It seems pretty clear that Lucid is confident things will be okay, and, to be honest, they should not have much to worry about, especially considering the company has been backed by the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF) for years. It has solid financial backing, and its sales, while weak, are pretty much right on par with a company of this age.
Lucid also sent a Cease & Desist letter to the publication for their report.
Lucid shares have rebounded nicely and are up nearly 21 percent at the time of publication. As soon as the company dispelled the rumors of bankruptcy yesterday, the stock began to climb back toward more reasonable levels.
Electric vehicle maker Lucid Group has denied rumors of an imminent bankruptcy after a report from this morning sent the stock on a dramatic drop on Wall Street, seeing losses of more than 40 percent during trading hours.
Lucid’s Director of Communications, Nick Twork, responded to the report from Eletric-Vehicles.com, which stated the company’s restructuring advisor, AlixPartners, was asked to review two decisions: taking Lucid shares private or filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.
The report also claims AlixPartners told the Lucid board to “concentrate on Gravity production while improving its quality, and to temporarily hold back the Lucid Air, the sedan that has defined the company since its launch.”
Twork said:
$LCID The rumors are completely false. The company has sufficient liquidity to carry its operations well into next year, as recently published in its last quarterly filings, and it has not formed any special Board committee to explore the scenarios reported today. Our focus is…
— Nick Twork (@ntwork) July 14, 2026
Shares rebounded after the response to the report, halving its losses as the trading day neared 3 p.m. Eastern.
Lucid has struggled to get its sales off the ground and into more respectable numbers, but the company is in its early years, when things are hard to begin with. It is also backed by several notable investors, including the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF), which has nearly limitless money and likely would not ditch an investment of this size so soon.
Lucid shares were down just 14 percent at the time of publication, a far cry from the 55 percent its losses topped out at during the day.
Tesla enters two new markets on two different continents in one week
SpaceX announces new Starship 13 test flight target date
