Firmware
Research group demos why Tesla Autopilot could crash into a stationary vehicle
Thatcham Research, a UK-based agency that works for the Association of British Insurers, has concluded that manufacturers such as Tesla need to be clearer and more specific about the differences between the capabilities of its Autopilot driving-assistance system and full self-driving suites like those employed by Waymo and GM Cruise. In an interview with BBC News, Matthew Avery of Thatcham Research stated that features with names such as Tesla’s Autopilot invoke the impression that the vehicles can drive themselves under all circumstances, when they actually can’t.
“There’s a problem with the manufacturers trying to introduce technology and consumers not being ready for it, not being sure if it’s automated or ‘Do I need to keep watching?’ We want it very clear. Either you are driving – assisted – or you’re not driving – automated,” Avery said.
Avery conducted a demonstration of the risks drivers face if they become over-reliant on the capabilities of the driver-assist system. Engaging a Tesla Model S’ Autopilot, Avery opted to do two tests. In the first test, which involved the electric car following a vehicle that slowed to a halt, the Model S performed well. In the second test, however, which involved a lead vehicle changing lanes without warning, the Model S was not able to stop in time, colliding with a stationary car represented by an inflatable dummy in Thatcham’s test track.
Tesla uses an array of 8 cameras, 12 ultrasonic sensors, and a forward-facing radar to detect objects and other vehicles on the road. Enhanced Autopilot, the company’s driver-assist system that utilizes Tesla Vision, uses a combination of Traffic-Aware Cruise Control (TACC) and Autosteer. Traffic-Aware Cruise Control enables drivers to set a speed and follow a lead vehicle while keeping a fixed distance. Autosteer, on the other hand, detects lane markings and the presence of vehicles and objects, steering Model S based on the road’s markings.
There are some instances, however, where TACC would prove inadequate, such as when the lead vehicle is traveling below the user’s set speed before switching lanes. In such a case, the Tesla would match the lead vehicle’s slower speed to prevent a collision, and once the lead vehicle leaves the lane, the electric car would accelerate to achieve its target speed. Based on the results of the preliminary investigation of the NTSB, this scenario was reflected in the fatal Model X crash in Mountain View, CA earlier this year, with the electric SUV accelerating after the car directly in front departed from the lane.
Such instances, however, only happen when drivers become too reliant on Autopilot. If drivers are paying attention to the road, a simple finger-flick of the Tesla’s stalk to disable TACC is enough to stop the car from accelerating and hitting a stationary vehicle. An alert driver would also be able to apply enough brakes and take over the car’s steering on time to avoid a collision. Tesla actually mentions these in the Owner’s Manual of its vehicles.
“Traffic-Aware Cruise Control does not eliminate the need to watch the road in front of you and to manually apply the brakes when needed. It is your responsibility to stay alert, drive safely, and be in control of the vehicle at all times. Never depend on Traffic-Aware Cruise Control to adequately slow down Model S. Always watch the road in front of you and be prepared to take corrective action at all times. Failure to do so can result in serious injury or death.”
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A Tesla Model S crashes into an inflatable dummy. [Credit: Thatcham Research/YouTube]
As noted in a Jalopnik report, Tesla has responded to the results of Thatcham Research’s test, with the company stating that the Model S’ collision would not have happened had the driver been using Autopilot correctly. The California-based electric car maker further noted that Tesla users understand that their attention on the road is paramount when Autopilot is engaged.
“Tesla has always been clear that Autopilot doesn’t make the car impervious to all accidents and the issues described by Thatcham won’t be a problem for drivers using Autopilot correctly. The feedback that we get from our customers shows that they have a very clear understanding of what Autopilot is, how to properly use it, and what features it consists of,” Tesla noted in a statement to the publication.
In order to increase the safety of its drivers, Tesla has been steadily rolling out safety features for its fleet. The latest update to Autopilot, v8.1(2018.21.9), included a more assertive hands-on alert system that ultimately caused complaints from drivers, with some stating that the system’s reminders have become too intrusive. Musk, for his part, has pledged to adjust Autopilot’s screen alerts to attain a balance between safety and drivers’ convenience. If Musk’s recent Twitter updates are any indication, however, it would only be a matter of months before the company starts rolling out the first full self-driving features to its fleet with the release of Software Version 9 in August.
Watch Thatcham Research’s segment on Tesla’s Autopilot in the video below.
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Firmware
Tesla unlocks in-car web conferencing to extend Google Meet, Teams and beyond
Tesla’s Summer Update lets owners join Google Meet, Teams, and Discord calls via cabin camera.
Tesla’s 2026 Summer Update, which just began rolling out to customer vehicles, now links the built-in web browser with the in-cabin camera feed and microphone input, thereby letting owners join video calls on nearly any browser-based service instead of just Zoom.
The change appears in Tesla’s own release notes for software version 2026.26 under “Web Browser,” which states that the vehicle can now use its interior camera and cabin microphone when a website requests access, with permission granted the same way a desktop browser handles it. As NotATeslaApp notes, this feature opens the door to Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, Discord, and other webcam-enabled sites to activate the in-car cabin-facing camera. The feed automatically crops and zooms to center the driver in frame.
Tesla has offered in-car video calling before, but only through a dedicated Zoom app that launched at the end of 2022, a stripped-down browser preloaded with Zoom’s own web client and gated behind Premium Connectivity. Opening the full browser to any camera-requesting site removes that walled garden. Elon Musk first called video conferencing “definitely a future feature” back in 2020, when the pandemic pushed remote meetings into daily life, so this update effectively finishes something Tesla has been promising for six years.
Tesla Summer Update begins rolling out: a look at the new features
The feature keeps the same restrictions that applied to Zoom on Tesla vehicles. It only works while the car is parked; shifting into Drive disables the camera feed, according to the release notes. It is also limited to vehicles running Tesla’s AMD Ryzen infotainment hardware, meaning older Intel-based Model S and Model X units, along with early Model 3 and Model Y builds, don’t get it.
Turning the browser into a general entry point for the in-cabin camera, rather than routing everything through one local app, widens the number of third-party sites that can ask for access, even though Tesla’s permission prompt.
With the Summer update only days into its rollout, be sure to stay with us on TikTok and X to see the latest video demonstrations.
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Elon Musk
Tesla confirmed HW3 can’t do Unsupervised FSD but there’s more to the story
Tesla confirmed HW3 vehicles cannot run unsupervised FSD, replacing its free upgrade promise with a discounted trade-in.
Tesla has officially confirmed that early vehicles with its Autopilot Hardware 3 (HW3) will not be capable of unsupervised Full Self-Driving, while extending a path forward for legacy owners through a discounted trade-in program. The announcement came by way of Elon Musk in today’s Tesla Q1 2026 earnings call.
🚨 Our LIVE updates on the Tesla Earnings Call will take place here in a thread 🧵
Follow along below: pic.twitter.com/hzJeBitzJU
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) April 22, 2026
The history here matters. HW3 launched in April 2019, and Tesla sold Full Self-Driving packages to owners on the understanding that the hardware was sufficient for full autonomy. Some owners paid between $8,000 and $15,000 for FSD during that period. For years, as FSD’s AI models grew more demanding, HW3 vehicles fell progressively further behind, eventually landing on FSD v12.6 in January 2025 while AI4 vehicles moved to v13 and then v14. When Musk acknowledged in January 2025 that HW3 simply could not reach unsupervised operation, and alluded to a difficult hardware retrofit.
The near-term offering is more concrete. Tesla’s head of Autopilot Ashok Elluswamy confirmed on today’s call that a V14-lite will be coming to HW3 vehicles in late June, bringing all the V14 features currently running on AI4 hardware. That is a meaningful software update for owners who have been frozen at v12.6 for over a year, and it represents genuine effort to keep older hardware relevant. Unsupervised FSD for vehicles is now targeted for Q4 2026 at the earliest, with Musk describing it as a gradual, geography-limited rollout.
For HW3 owners, the over-the-air V14-lite update is welcomed, and the discounted trade-in path at least acknowledges an old obligation. What happens next with the trade-in pricing will define how this chapter ultimately gets written. If Tesla prices the hardware path fairly, acknowledges what early adopters are owed, and delivers V14-lite on the June timeline it committed to today, it has a real opportunity to convert one of the longest-running sore subjects among early adopters into a loyalty story.
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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.
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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
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