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Tesla’s in-house Full Self-Driving chip puts TSLA 4 years ahead of competition: analyst
Tesla’s decision to develop its Full Self-Driving (FSD) computer chip in-house has put it four years ahead of the competition, according to ARK Invest analyst James Wang.
Wang laid out the case for the all-electric car maker’s custom automotive-grade computer against the next-best options in the market, all Nvidia products, in an article on ARK Invest’s website. His stated goal in the piece was to clarify Tesla’s position and achievement with full self-driving in simple terms as well as explain why an off-the-shelf chip would not have accomplished the same feat.
Admittedly, Tesla’s Autonomy Day livestream debuting the arrival of its Full Self-Driving computer was chock full of very technical details that many outside the computer science world indicated were difficult to follow. Thus, Wang’s FSD simplification is helpful for gaining insight into Tesla’s autonomous driving progress in terms of the bigger industry picture.
In summary, by focusing only on what its particular needs were for its particular software demands, Tesla was was able to improve its chip’s performance efficiency to a level that has allowed it to “leapfrog” over competitors. Wang predicts that by 2021, Tesla will be ready to release its next generation FSD computer while its closest competitor in terms of optimal peak utilization is just coming to market.
Nvidia is a prominent and highly successful leader in computer chip design, and Tesla already uses its products for Hardware 2.5, the computer currently running the electric car maker’s Autopilot features. That said, the industry giant has three self-driving-focused chips in its lineup: Xavier (in production), Pegasus (readying for production) and Orin (still pending an official announcement).
Pegasus is a Level 5 self-driving computer, as is Tesla’s FSD; however, it has twice as many chips as FSD, consumes seven times more power than FSD, and is too big and expensive for the Model 3. Since Nvidia designs chips for a wide range of hardware manufacturers, much like the Windows and Android operating systems are designed to be flexible enough for different computer and smartphone hardware suites, their functionality cannot be overly streamlined for one system over another. In contrast, Tesla (like Apple hardware/software) can focus all of its autonomy efforts on its specific hardware and software needs, thus achieving a greater output than Nvidia’s product.
In a follow up to Tesla’s Autonomy Day presentation wherein FSD was compared to Nvidia’s Xavier computer, a chip designed for semi-autonomous driving only, the chip manufacturer published a company blog piece drawing attention to Pegasus’ capabilities as a better measure for analysis. As pointed out in Wang’s analysis, the FSD and Pegasus still do not achieve the same metrics, leaving Tesla well positioned amongst its self-driving computer peers. Despite the issue, though, Nvidia’s conclusion was a positive response to the car maker’s achievement: Tesla has raised the bar on self-driving and other car manufacturers need to get on board before falling too far behind.
During the Autonomy Day presentation, Tesla CEO Elon Musk crowned FSD as “objectively best in the world”, and James Wang’s analysis is yet another outline of why that is arguably the case. Tesla’s Full Self-Driving Computer (formerly known as Hardware 3) is currently being installed in all new production vehicles, and owners who purchased Full Self-Driving for a car produced in 2016 or later will receive a free upgrade to the FSD computer in the near future. Musk has further predicted that Tesla’s full self-driving software will be complete by the end of this year and fully operational by the second quarter of next year.
Tesla has officially launched the Model Y L in the United States and Puerto Rico for $61,990. It is the longer-wheelbase version of the Model Y, and has been available in China since last year.
Tesla brings the Model Y L to the U.S. just months after it phased out the only pure SUV in its lineup, the Model X. It is slightly longer than the Model Y configurations that are already available in the U.S., and features a three-row, six-seat setup with Captain’s Chairs being among the many features that make this a truly fantastic offering.
The Model Y L is priced competitively at $61,990, and features 325 miles of range and a 0-60 MPH in just 4.4 seconds.
Tesla also added a handful of new features that are not available in even the Premium Model Y. Here’s a full list of its features:
- Heated/Ventilated Front Seats with Powered Thigh Cushion
- Heated/Ventilated Captain’s Seats in Second Row with Powered Armrests & One-Touch Fold
- Heated Third-Row Seats with Power Recline, One-Touch Fold & Child Seat Anchors
- Improved Airflow, Increased Efficiency, More Range
- 89 cubic feet of trunk space
- Upgraded Acoustic Glass and Suspension to Minimize Road Noise
- Adaptive Damping for a Smooth, Stable Ride
- Staggered Tires for Enhanced Grip
- Larger Tailgate for Better Rear Visibility and Bigger Windows Overall
- 16″ First Row and 8″ Second Row Touchscreens
- 19-Speaker Immersive Tesla Audio
- 50W Wireless Charging Pads with Active Cooling and Charging Ports for All Other Seats
- FSD Supervised and Integrated Grok AI
Tesla is also delivering these first units as a “Launch Series,” which comes with additional features, such as:
- Door Trim Puddle Lights
- Suede Dashboard Wing
- Exterior and Interior Badging
- Floor Mats
- Sill Plates
The launch of the Model Y L in the U.S. marks a huge offering from Tesla to U.S. consumers. People have been calling for Tesla to bring a larger car to the U.S., and it needed it more than ever now that the Model X is gone.
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- Credit: Tesla
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- Credit: Tesla
It is a huge accomplishment for Tesla to get the Model Y L to the U.S., and after reporting strong deliveries today, it will be interesting to see how this car impacts future quarterly delivery reports.
Deliveries for the Model Y L “Launch Series” are slated for September or October of this year.
Tesla just told us twice that the Model Y L is coming to the U.S., and two social media posts definitely just tipped the company’s hand, as if they wanted it to be any other way.
The two social media posts basically confirm that the slightly longer version of the Model Y will be heading to the United States soon, and many have speculated that the company could launch the vehicle as soon as this weekend.
The first post was directly from Tesla, and it showed an incredibly long Dachshund, with words above that said, “Looking forward to the long weekend.”
Looking forward to the long weekend pic.twitter.com/URzH6zOUdn
— Tesla (@Tesla) July 1, 2026
Anyone who knows Tesla knows the company loves to troll its fans and have fun, and this is a perfect example of that. While not a direct acknowledgement, Tesla is very involved on social media, especially CEO Elon Musk’s platform X, and the company is well aware of what is being discussed within the community.
With recent sightings of Model Y L test mules in California, peeks of the vehicle at Giga Texas, and a large call for the car to come to the U.S., Tesla is simply stoking conversation with this.
However, the company also made another move that was recognized on social media. Tesla has a large gallery that includes photos of its products so media and others can use them. This gallery applies to the U.S. market specifically, unless otherwise specified.
Tesla uploaded a Model Y L to the Gallery last night:
This looks like a Model Y L https://t.co/TpnBwrLmH9
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) July 2, 2026
This seems to be another indication that the Model Y L is coming to the United States.
Musk said last year that the Model Y L could make its way to the United States late this year, but it was not something that was set in stone by Tesla. The company definitely needs to establish something in the SUV market that is larger than the Model Y, and the Model Y L might be the answer.
Even still, there are consumers out there who would love Tesla to develop something even larger, like a competitor to the Tahoe or Expedition. Tesla has not really given much of an indication that it will go in that direction.
Tesla is using the vehicles’ internal microphones to improve build quality, Vice President of Engineering Lars Moravy revealed recently.
It’s no secret that Tesla is always finding ways to make its manufacturing operations more efficient, accurate, and valuable. Constantly trying to make its cars better, the company has never placed any restrictions on what it will do to improve everything from panel gaps to paint.
As Teslas have been driving autonomously on the property of the Gigafactory Texas plant for a while now, Moravy revealed to Herbert Ong in a new interview that cars rolling off production lines now autonomously navigate themselves through a bumps, squeaks, and rattles (BSR) portion of the line. This helps to identify any loose or improperly installed internal parts.
The cabin’s microphones, which are used for a variety of things in ownership, simultaneously monitor any noises inside the vehicle while it rolls through the BSR portion of the production line. Moravy actually revealed that Tesla is trying to build “Full Self-Hearing,” an AI system that will detect minor imperfections so they can be corrected before delivery.
It’s no secret that build quality is something that Tesla struggled with as it scaled to a fully massive production operation that manufactures over 1.6 million vehicles per year. However, in recent years, especially, there have not been as many complaints. Tesla has truly improved upon its build quality and paint quality over the past several years, especially in the U.S.
Tesla’s ‘megacasts’ are key to massive build quality improvements
While those improvements have been evident, there are still some complaints; no automaker is perfect with this. But this step will now ensure that every single car that rolls off the production lines at Gigafactory Texas will be void of any creaks, squeaks, or squeals when it leaves the factory.
This measure is one of the most unique we’ve seen in terms of a strategy to avoid build quality issues, but it is not exclusive to Tesla.
Ford uses acoustic analysis AI to find abnormalities in seat motors, climate control units, and other components. Suppliers and OEMs will also use microphone arrays or particle velocity sensors in end-of-line stations.
The full interview with Lars Moravy is available below:
🚨 If you’re a Tesla investor, this is one interview you don’t want to skip. The full video posted below.
Jeff Lutz @thejefflutz and I sat down with Tesla VP of Engineering Lars Moravy, and it was packed with insights!
A few of the biggest takeaways:
• Cybercab is expected to… pic.twitter.com/fhYSr2dCqP
— Herbert Ong (@herbertong) July 1, 2026
Tesla brings Model Y L ‘Launch Series’ to the U.S. at $61,990
Tesla just told us twice that Model Y L is coming to the U.S.
