In a shocking move, Tesla announced that it would allow the transfer of its Full Self-Driving suite between vehicles for the first time, only allowing it for the duration of the third quarter.
After a retail investor asked whether Tesla had potentially mulled the possibility of allowing a transfer of the FSD suite between vehicles owned by the same account, Musk responded with a surprising answer:
“So, we’re excited to announce that for Q3, we will be allowing the transfer of FSD. This is a one-time amnesty. So, it needs to be — you need to take advantage of it in Q3, but — or at least place the order in Q3 within reasonable delivery time frames. So yes, I hope this makes people happy. This is a one-time thing.”
Tesla has already activated the ability to transfer FSD between vehicles, and there is a list of terms the company is outlining to drivers before they make the commitment, according to a document.
The current FSD transfer program runs from July 20 to September 30, and when the transfer is complete, the FSD suite is forfeited on the vehicle it is being transferred from. It has to be transferred to a newly-delivered vehicle, and owners must take possession in Q3.
Tesla outlines the following conditions to owners:
- Be the legal and registered owner of a Tesla vehicle that currently has Full Self-Driving capability included at the time of delivery of the new Tesla vehicle. The vehicle cannot be the subject of a pending cancellation of buyback request.
- Take delivery of your new titled Tesla between July 20, 2023, and September 30, 2023.
- Accept the forfeiture of the Full Self-Driving capability on your current Tesla vehicle. Alternatively, you can choose to trade-in your current Tesla vehicle altogether directly with Tesla when you purchase your new Tesla vehicle. Tesla will remove Full Self-Driving capability from your current Tesla vehicle up to one week before your scheduled delivery day for your new Tesla. During this process, your current vehicle will automatically reboot for a few minutes after put in park.
- The Full Self-Driving capability can only be transferred once and so cannot be transferred to another vehicle or to another person, even if the vehicle is privately sold. This offer cannot be combined with any other promotion, and is not redeemable for cash.
- Tesla reserves the right to change, modify, or terminate this offer at any time without prior notice.
- The forfeiture of the Full Self-Driving capability on your current vehicle is non-reversible after you take delivery of the new Tesla vehicle, or we remove Full Self-Driving capability from your current vehicle, whichever occurs first. This remains non-reversible even in the event that you cancel or reverse your purchase after you have taken delivery.
- Used vehicles and vehicles for commercial purposes are not eligible for this program.
- Tesla may remove the Full Self-Driving capability from your new vehicle if it determines in good faith that you have breached any of these terms or made any misrepresentations about Full Self-Driving on your current vehicle.
- This offer cannot be applied retroactively after the new Tesla vehicle is delivered.
Please email me with questions and comments at joey@teslarati.com. I’d love to chat! You can also reach me on Twitter @KlenderJoey, or if you have news tips, you can email us at tips@teslarati.com.
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Cybertruck
Tesla made a change to the Cybertruck and nobody noticed
Tesla made a change to the Cybertruck, and nobody noticed. But to be fair, nobody could have, but it was revealed by the program’s lead engineer that it was aimed toward simplifying manufacturing through a minor change in casting.
After the Cybertruck was given a Top Safety Pick+ award by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), for its reputation as the safest pickup on the market, some wondered what had changed about the vehicle.
Tesla makes changes to its vehicles routinely through Over-the-Air software updates, but aesthetic changes are relatively rare. Vehicles go through refreshes every few years, as the Model 3 and Model Y did earlier this year. However, the Cybertruck is one of the vehicles that has not changed much since its launch in late 2023, but it has gone through some minor changes.
Most recently, Wes Morrill, the Cybertruck program’s Lead Engineer, stated that the company had made a minor change to the casting of the all-electric pickup for manufacturing purposes. This change took place in April:
We made a minor change on the casting for manufacturability in April. Our Internal testing shows no difference in crash result but IIHS only officially tested the latest version
— Wes (@wmorrill3) December 17, 2025
The change is among the most subtle that can be made, but it makes a massive difference in manufacturing efficiency, build quality, and scalability.
Morrill revealed Tesla’s internal testing showed no difference in crash testing results performed by the IIHS.
The 2025 Cybertruck received stellar ratings in each of the required testing scenarios and categories. The Top Safety Pick+ award is only given if it excels in rigorous crash tests. This requires ‘Good’ ratings in updated small and moderate overlap front, side, roof, and head restraints.
Additionally, it must have advanced front crash prevention in both day and night. Most importantly, the vehicle must have a ‘Good’ or ‘Acceptable’ headlights standard on all trims, with the “+ ” specifically demanding the toughest new updated moderate overlap test that checks rear-seat passenger protection alongside driver safety.
News
Tesla enters interesting situation with Full Self-Driving in California
Tesla has entered an interesting situation with its Full Self-Driving suite in California, as the State’s Department of Motor Vehicles had adopted an order for a suspension of the company’s sales license, but it immediately put it on hold.
The company has been granted a reprieve as the DMV is giving Tesla an opportunity to “remedy the situation.” After the suspension was recommended for 30 days as a penalty, the DMV said it would give Tesla 90 days to allow the company to come into compliance.
The DMV is accusing Tesla of misleading consumers by using words like Autopilot and Full Self-Driving on its advanced driver assistance (ADAS) features.
The State’s DMV Director, Steve Gordon, said that he hoped “Tesla will find a way to get these misleading statements corrected.” However, Tesla responded to the story on Tuesday, stating that this was a “consumer protection” order for the company using the term Autopilot.
It said “not one single customer came forward to say there’s a problem.” It added that “sales in California will continue uninterrupted.”
This was a “consumer protection” order about the use of the term “Autopilot” in a case where not one single customer came forward to say there’s a problem.
Sales in California will continue uninterrupted.
— Tesla North America (@tesla_na) December 17, 2025
Tesla has used the terms Autopilot and Full Self-Driving for years, but has added the term “(Supervised)” to the end of the FSD suite, hoping to remedy some of the potential issues that regulators in various areas might have with the labeling of the program.
It might not be too long before Tesla stops catching flak for using the Full Self-Driving name to describe its platform.
Tesla Robotaxi goes driverless as Musk confirms Safety Monitor removal testing
The Robotaxi suite has continued to improve, and this week, vehicles were spotted in Austin without any occupants. CEO Elon Musk would later confirm that Tesla had started testing driverless rides in Austin, hoping to launch rides without any supervision by the end of the year.
Investor's Corner
Tesla stock closes at all-time high on heels of Robotaxi progress
Tesla stock (NASDAQ: TSLA) closed at an all-time high on Tuesday, jumping over 3 percent during the day and finishing at $489.88.
The price beats the previous record close, which was $479.86.
Shares have had a crazy year, dipping more than 40 percent from the start of the year. The stock then started to recover once again around late April, when its price started to climb back up from the low $200 level.
This week, Tesla started to climb toward its highest levels ever, as it was revealed on Sunday that the company was testing driverless Robotaxis in Austin. The spike in value pushed the company’s valuation to $1.63 trillion.
Tesla Robotaxi goes driverless as Musk confirms Safety Monitor removal testing
It is the seventh-most valuable company on the market currently, trailing Nvidia, Apple, Alphabet (Google), Microsoft, Amazon, and Meta.
Shares closed up $14.57 today, up over 3 percent.
The stock has gone through a lot this year, as previously mentioned. Shares tumbled in Q1 due to CEO Elon Musk’s involvement with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which pulled his attention away from his companies and left a major overhang on their valuations.
However, things started to rebound halfway through the year, and as the government started to phase out the $7,500 tax credit, demand spiked as consumers tried to take advantage of it.
Q3 deliveries were the highest in company history, and Tesla responded to the loss of the tax credit with the launch of the Model 3 and Model Y Standard.
Additionally, analysts have announced high expectations this week for the company on Wall Street as Robotaxi continues to be the focus. With autonomy within Tesla’s sights, things are moving in the direction of Robotaxi being a major catalyst for growth on the Street in the coming year.