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Tesla’s ‘Early Access Program’ will reportedly be extended to Full Self-Driving buyers
It appears that Tesla’s Early Access Program will be automatically extended to buyers who purchased Full Self-Driving (FSD) prior to the end of February 2019, at least according to an email from the all-electric car maker to a Model 3 owner shared via Twitter.
Early purchase of FSD had previously been understood as a qualifier for the Early Access Program, but confusion over access to the program has been widespread thanks to seemingly sporadic rollouts of beta features combined with very little communication from Tesla. A March 1, 2019 announcement posted by Tesla previously confirmed this arrangement; however, that post has since been removed from Tesla’s official news/blog page.
It read as follows:“Customers who previously purchased Full Self-Driving will receive an invitation to Tesla’s Early Access Program (EAP). EAP members are invited to experience and provide feedback on new features and functionality before they are rolled out to other customers.”A Tesla owner and enthusiast well known in the community under the handle Earl of Frunkpuppy (@28delayslater/Twitter) recently received an email from Tesla which appears to clarify the matter:
“In regards to the Early Access program, we are super excited to offer the Early Access Program to our customers who had purchased FSD prior to the end of February! At this time, we are currently working on the process and timeline for this exciting feature. Once we have the appropriate information, we will communicate to our customer base! Invitations will be sent out automatically to all qualifying owners. The good news is that there are no extra steps needed on your part to receive the invitation. Thank you again for your email.”
Tesla’s Early Access Program provides beta software features for testing by an exclusive pool of owners. Invitations to join the program have been received and accepted by many in the owner community, but details are sparse on how the program is carried out. Given the secrecy mandated by Tesla for its Early Access users, this is not surprising.
What’s known generally about the program, as shared online by a few owners actively involved, is that participants receive an email prior to a beta release requiring acceptance of the software before being the update is sent over the air. At that time, the owner is also reminded of the Early Access Program’s strict rules for participation: No sharing information online and no 3rd party software reporting apps (TeslaFi, notably). Whether or not invitees are even supposed to acknowledge receiving an invite is even debated, with references being made to the first rule of “Fight Club”.
One additional thing worth noting about Tesla’s Early Access Program is that it’s not a priority system, meaning enrollment isn’t tied to receiving mass software updates before other non-participants. The program is strictly for software testing, and some features included in beta releases may never be released in the final system-wide update. The role of the participant is to provide helpful feedback to Tesla so that improvements can be made, not simply to be first in line for new features, although that is a huge benefit to weigh with the risks of using imperfect software that controls your vehicle. As the all-electric car maker moves closer towards launching its Full Self-Driving program, feedback from participants of the Early Access Program will become more essential.
Tesla has begun rolling out the final FSD computer (Hardware 3/HW3) in new production vehicles, and CEO Elon Musk recently confirmed that the company’s mobile service teams would be able to install the upgrade instead of the company’s service centers. Musk detailed the performance difference between HW2.5 and HW3 via Twitter: “The Tesla Full Self-Driving Computer now in production is at about 5% compute load for these [Navigate on Autopilot] tasks or 10% with full fail-over redundancy,” he wrote, later mentioning that the HW2.5 load was 80% with the system’s current features.
The company will be hosting an Autonomy Investor Day on April 22nd where the roadmap for Tesla’s Full Self-Driving features will be discussed and key updates will be provided. Investors will also be given test rides demonstrating FSD and Autopilot improvements, including never-before-seen features. The event will be webcast, though additional details are yet to be announced.
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Tesla FSD successfully completes full coast-to-coast drive with zero interventions
Tesla community members celebrated the milestone on X, and the feat earned praise from some of the electric vehicle maker’s executives.
A Tesla owner has successfully completed a full coast-to-coast drive across the United States on Full Self-Driving (FSD) Supervised. The trip was accomplished with zero interventions.
Tesla community members celebrated the milestone on X, and the feat earned praise from some of the electric vehicle maker’s executives.
FSD Coast-to-Coast
The coast-to-coast feat was accomplished by Tesla owner Davis Moss, who drives a stealth gray Model 3 with AI4 hardware. Based on data from the FSD database and a community tracker, the last 10,638.8 miles Moss drove in his Model 3 were completed using FSD 100% of the time. His vehicle is equipped with FSD v14.2.1.25, which was installed 12 days ago.
As per Moss in a celebratory post on X, his Model 3 was able to complete a full coast-to-coast drive across the United States in 2 days and 20 hours. His trip started at the Tesla Diner in Los Angeles, CA, and it ended in Myrtle Beach, SC. Overall, his trip spanned 2,732.4 miles.
“This was accomplished with Tesla FSD V14.2 with absolutely 0 disengagements of any kind even for all parking including at Tesla Superchargers,” Moss stated in his post. He also added in later comments that there were zero close calls during the trip.
Tesla community celebrates
The FSD milestone trip was widely lauded by members of the Tesla community, especially since a coast-to-coast drive with zero interventions has been cited by Elon Musk as a target since October 2016, when Autopilot 2.0 was unveiled. At the time, Musk initially estimated that a coast-to-coast drive across the United States should be possible by the end of 2017. Considering Moss’ feat in his Model 3, it appears that Elon Musk’s estimate was not impossible at all. It was just late.
Musk himself celebrated the milestone on X, and so did Tesla VP of AI Software Ashok Elluswamy, who wrote “World’s first fully autonomous coast-to-coast drive, done with Tesla self-driving v14. Congrats and thank you @DavidMoss!” in a post on X. The official Tesla North America account also celebrated the feat, writing “First Tesla to drive itself from coast to coast w/ FSD Supervised. 0 interventions, all FSD” on X.
Elon Musk
Elon Musk: Tesla Model Y is world’s best-selling car for 3rd year in a row
The Model Y has now established an impressive streak that would otherwise have been impossible before Tesla.
Elon Musk has announced that the Tesla Model Y has become the world’s best-selling car by volume for the third consecutive year, capping 2025 with another dominant performance.
The Model Y has now established an impressive streak that would otherwise have been impossible before Tesla.
Three years in a row
Musk posted on X: “Tesla Model Y is now officially the world’s best-selling car for the third year in a row!” The CEO’s comment echoed an update that Tesla included in its 2025 recap, which highlighted, among other things, the Model Y’s incredible streak.
The Model Y has held the title since 2023, outperforming traditional leaders like the Toyota RAV4 and Corolla thanks to its bang-for-the-buck nature and its stellar combination of practicality, performance, and tech. The Model Y is also lauded as one of the safest vehicles on the road, making it an ideal choice for families in key markets such as China.
An impressive 2025
The Model Y’s sales feat in 2025 is especially impressive considering the introduction of the vehicle’s new variant. Tesla’s changeover to the new Model Y across its global factories resulted in sales being paused for some time in the first quarter. As per Tesla’s Q1 2025 vehicle delivery and production report, “the changeover of Model Y lines across all four of our factories led to the loss of several weeks of production in Q1.”
This suggests that the Model Y’s sales remained strong in 2025 to the point where it could still claim the title of the world’s best-selling vehicle by volume, even with its sales being throttled during the first quarter of the year. It would then be interesting to see just how far the Model Y can go in 2026, especially considering the rollout of new variants like the six-seat extended wheelbase Model Y L, the affordable Model Y Standard, and the top-tier Model Y Performance.
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Tesla shares epic 2025 recap video, confirms start of Cybercab production
The cinematic montage, posted by the official Tesla account on X, celebrated the company’s progress in EVs, energy, and Robotaxi development.
Tesla has released an epic year-in-review video for 2025, recapping some of its major achievements from refreshed models to autonomy breakthroughs and production ramps.
The cinematic montage, posted by the official Tesla account on X, celebrated the company’s progress in EVs, energy, and Robotaxi development while looking ahead to an even bigger 2026.
Tesla’s 2025 highlights recap
Tesla has had a busy 2025, as highlighted in the recap video. The video opened with Elon Musk explaining the company’s pursuit of sustainable abundance. A number of milestones were then highlighted, such as the rollout of FSD v14, Optimus’ numerous demos, the opening of the Tesla Diner in Hollywood, LA, the completion of the world’s first autonomous car delivery, and the launch of the Robotaxi network in Austin and the San Francisco Bay Area.
Tesla also highlighted several of its accomplishments over the year. As per the company, the Model Y was the year’s best-selling vehicle globally again, and Teslas became more affordable than ever thanks to the Model 3 and Model Y Standard. Other key models were also rolled out, such as the refreshed Model S and X, as well as the new Model Y, the new Model Y Performance, and the six-seat, extended wheelbase Model Y L.
The Megablock was also unveiled during the year, and the Supercharger Network grew by 18%. Over 1 million Powerwalls were also installed during the year, and the Cybertruck became the first EV truck to get both an IIHS Top Safety Pick+ award and an NHTSA 5-Star safety rating.
Cybercab production confirmed
Interestingly enough, Tesla also confirmed in its 2025 recap video that the production of the Cybercab has started. This bodes well for the vehicle, as it could result in the vehicle really being mass-produced in the first half of 2026. Elon Musk confirmed during the 2025 Annual Shareholder Meeting that Cybercab production should earnestly start around April 2026.
Musk has also noted that the Cybercab will be Tesla’s highest-volume vehicle yet, with the company aiming for an annual production rate of about 2 million units. “If you’ve seen the design of the Cybercab line, it doesn’t look like a normal car manufacturing line,” Musk said earlier this year. “It looks like a really high-speed consumer electronics line. In fact, the line will move so fast that actually people can’t even get close to it.”
Tesla FSD successfully completes full coast-to-coast drive with zero interventions
Elon Musk: Tesla Model Y is world’s best-selling car for 3rd year in a row
