Tesla has started sending out Autopilot Camera Upgrade invites to Model S and Model X owners who purchased Full Self-Driving when it was initially launched years ago. As per the communication, Tesla is now poised to start camera retrofits for its older cars, which would allow Model S and Model X vehicles with FSD to access the full suite of features currently offered by the company.
A screenshot of the communication has been shared online, and it reads as follows: “As an owner with Full Self-Driving Capability and early production cameras, you are eligible for complimentary Autopilot Camera Upgrade. Camera replacements are required to access a continuously expanding suite of Full Self-Driving Capability features. To arrange your complimentary camera replacements, schedule a new appointment from the Service menu in your Tesla App,” the message read.
Together with the launch of the new initiative, Tesla also updated its official webpage for its Full Self-Driving Computer Installations. A new section titled “Camera Replacements” has now been added to the page. The section outlines which customers are eligible for the retrofit, when the service will be available, which camera units will be replaced, how long the hardware update would take, and how early FSD adopters could schedule an appointment for the Autopilot Camera Upgrade.
It should be noted that the ongoing program is only open for vehicles that were purchased with Full Self-Driving Capability prior to September 2017. Tesla notes that only the early production cameras will be replaced with cameras with a different type of color sensor. This retrofit is only open to older Model S and Model X vehicles as well. Early Model 3s are not included in the initiative.
Autopilot Camera Upgrade retrofits are scheduled to start in November 2021, when Tesla starts sending out invites to owners of older Model S and Model X. Those who are invited would receive a message through their Tesla App informing them that a retrofit for their vehicle is available. That being said, Tesla has noted that with the company working through supply constraints, invitations for camera upgrades would be sent first to vehicles with the highest safety scores and Intel Atom-powered MCU2 units. Tesla FSD vehicles with NVIDIA Tegra-3-powered MCU1 units are poised to follow at a later date.
Cameras that would be physically replaced with the complimentary Autopilot Camera Upgrade include the forward-facing cameras, rearward-looking side cameras, and forward-looking side cameras. The entire process should take about an hour, and mobile service personnel should be able to conduct the retrofit without any issues.
There is no doubt that Tesla’s Autopilot Camera Upgrade program is noteworthy, and it does back up what Elon Musk recently promised on Twitter. Based on what Tesla has stated in its official webpage for the service, however, owners of Model S and Model X vehicles that are still equipped with MCU1 units, and who have been unable to access the Safety Score system so far despite having purchased FSD in the past, would likely be waiting some more to receive the advanced driver-assist system’s latest features.
Check out Tesla’s full update on its Autopilot Camera Upgrade program here.
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Tesla arson suspect pleads guilty, faces up to 70 years in prison
The update was announced by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Nevada.
A Las Vegas man has pleaded guilty to federal arson charges tied to a March 2025 attack on a Tesla Collision Center in Nevada.
The update was announced by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Nevada.
According to court documents, on March 18, 2025, Paul Hyon Kim spray-painted the word “RESIST” on the front entrance of the Tesla Collision Center before damaging the facility and multiple vehicles.
Federal prosecutors stated that Kim used a PA-15 multi-caliber firearm equipped with a .300 BLACKOUT upper receiver and a 7.62mm silencer to shoot out surveillance cameras. He then fired multiple rounds into Tesla vehicles on the property.
Authorities stated that Kim later threw three Molotov cocktails into three separate Tesla vehicles. Two of the devices exploded and ignited the vehicles, while a third did not detonate. In total, five Tesla vehicles were damaged in the incident.
Kim pleaded guilty to two counts of arson of property used in interstate commerce, one count of attempted arson of property used in interstate commerce, and one count of unlawful possession of an unregistered firearm classified as a destructive device.
The mandatory minimum sentence for the charges is five years in federal prison, though the total maximum statutory penalty is 70 years, as per a release from the United States Attorney’s Office of the District of Nevada.
Sentencing is scheduled for May 27, 2026, before U.S. District Judge Jennifer A. Dorsey. A federal judge will determine the final sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The case was investigated by the FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, with assistance from the Clark County Fire Department.
Elon Musk
SpaceX pursues 5G-level connectivity with Starlink Mobile V2 expansion
SpaceX noted that the upcoming Starlink V2 satellites will deliver up to 100 times the data density of the current first-generation system.
SpaceX has previewed a major upgrade to Starlink Mobile, outlining next-generation satellites that aim to deliver significantly higher capacity and full 5G-level connectivity directly to mobile phones.
The update comes as Starlink rebrands its Direct-to-Cell service to Starlink Mobile, positioning the platform as a scalable satellite-to-mobile solution that’s integrated with global telecom partners.
SpaceX noted that the upcoming Starlink V2 satellites will deliver up to 100 times the data density of the current first-generation system. The company also noted that the new V2 satellites are designed to provide significantly higher throughput capability compared to its current iteration.
“The next generation of Starlink Mobile satellites – V2 – will deliver full cellular coverage to places never thought possible via the highest performing satellite-to-mobile network ever built.
“Driven by custom SpaceX-designed silicon and phased array antennas, the satellites will support thousands of spatial beams and higher bandwidth capability, enabling around 20x the throughput capability as compared to a first-generation satellite,” SpaceX wrote in its official Starlink Mobile page.
Thanks to the higher bandwidth of Starlink Mobile, users should be able to stream, browse the internet, use high-speed apps, and enjoy voice services comparable to terrestrial cellular networks.
In most environments, Starlink says the upgraded system will enable full 5G cellular connectivity with a user experience similar to existing ground-based networks.
The satellites function as “cell towers in space,” using advanced phased-array antennas and laser interlinks to integrate with terrestrial infrastructure in a roaming-like architecture.
“Starlink Mobile works with existing LTE phones wherever you can see the sky. The satellites have an antenna that acts like a cellphone tower in space, the most advanced phased array antennas in the world that connect seamlessly over lasers to any point in the globe, allowing network integration similar to a standard roaming partner,” SpaceX wrote.
Starlink Mobile currently operates with approximately 650 satellites in low-Earth orbit and is active across more than 32 countries, representing over 1.7 billion people through partnerships with mobile network operators. Starlink Mobile’s current partnerships span North America, Europe, Asia, Africa, and Oceania, allowing reciprocal access across participating nations.
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Tesla FSD (Supervised) fleet passes 8.4 billion cumulative miles
The figure appears on Tesla’s official safety page, which tracks performance data for FSD (Supervised) and other safety technologies.
Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (Supervised) system has now surpassed 8.4 billion cumulative miles.
The figure appears on Tesla’s official safety page, which tracks performance data for FSD (Supervised) and other safety technologies.
Tesla has long emphasized that large-scale real-world data is central to improving its neural network-based approach to autonomy. Each mile driven with FSD (Supervised) engaged contributes additional edge cases and scenario training for the system.
The milestone also brings Tesla closer to a benchmark previously outlined by CEO Elon Musk. Musk has stated that roughly 10 billion miles of training data may be needed to achieve safe unsupervised self-driving at scale, citing the “long tail” of rare but complex driving situations that must be learned through experience.
The growth curve of FSD Supervised’s cumulative miles over the past five years has been notable.
As noted in data shared by Tesla watcher Sawyer Merritt, annual FSD (Supervised) miles have increased from roughly 6 million in 2021 to 80 million in 2022, 670 million in 2023, 2.25 billion in 2024, and 4.25 billion in 2025. In just the first 50 days of 2026, Tesla owners logged another 1 billion miles.
At the current pace, the fleet is trending towards hitting about 10 billion FSD Supervised miles this year. The increase has been driven by Tesla’s growing vehicle fleet, periodic free trials, and expanding Robotaxi operations, among others.
With the fleet now past 8.4 billion cumulative miles, Tesla’s supervised system is approaching that threshold, even as regulatory approval for fully unsupervised deployment remains subject to further validation and oversight.
Tesla arson suspect pleads guilty, faces up to 70 years in prison
SpaceX pursues 5G-level connectivity with Starlink Mobile V2 expansion
