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Tesla gives update for early FSD adopters with legacy Model S, Model X vehicles

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Longtime Tesla FSD adopters with legacy vehicles recently received an update from the electric car maker. The update sheds some light on what is waiting for customers who purchased FSD and are still driving legacy Model S and Model X vehicles today. 

Tesla functions like a tech company, so it is no surprise that it has moved very fast over the years. This means that constant improvements to its vehicles’ hardware are being implemented as soon as they are ready. This also means, however, that the latest updates to systems like FSD (Supervised) or Autopilot are mostly focused on vehicles that represent the majority of the company’s fleet. 

This was highlighted by Elon Musk in a recent post on X, when he noted that while Tesla’s Hardware 4 will ultimately be better, all training that the company is doing right now is for Hardware 3 vehicles. Hardware 4 is just running on emulation mode. 

Within Tesla’s pursuit of autonomous driving lies a group of Model S and Model X owners who bought into FSD even before the Model 3 was ramped. These owners were promised that their vehicles would have the necessary hardware to be self-driving one day, but they have not received much of Tesla’s Autopilot and FSD improvements to date. Granted, Tesla has launched a hardware upgrade program for legacy vehicles, but they are paid options that some owners have refused. 

It was then no surprise that amidst the excitement for FSD (Supervised), some legacy Model S and Model X owners have expressed their frustration at being left out again. Among these is Anthony Spina, who noted in a post on X, that “all of us legacy S/X owners still haven’t received V12 yet, with no official communication stating whether or not we even will. MCU1 FSD S/X owners have been living in the dark on this for years, and now MCU2 owners are beginning to be lumped into this group as well, at least it would seem on the surface.”

In a response on X, Tesla Vice President of Public Policy and Business Development Rohan Patel explained that the electric vehicle maker is putting a lot of efforts into releasing systems like FSD (Supervised) to older vehicles. The executive noted that Tesla cannot give a timeline as to when FSD would be released to older vehicles, but the company’s AI team is working on it. 

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“Thanks @Speenuh and others who have posted on @X about this. While we normally prioritize our paid FSD customers to the extent possible, there is a group of S/X customers (~3% of total FSD eligible vehicles) who have a different hardware which the @Tesla_AI team is working to validate. We have a rigorous safety validation cycle for every software update, and we are working as hard as possible to ship the latest builds to all customers. We don’t want to give false precision on timing until the validation can be completed, but want you to know we are focused on trying to solve this. Many of you have been with us on the FSD journey from the start and it’s super appreciated,” Patel wrote. 

In a follow-up post, the Tesla executive also noted that the company understands the frustration of its legacy customers. “We 100% get it and understand and sincerely appreciate the patience. Our software engineers and validation teams really are doing all they can to try and solve even on Easter Sunday,” the executive noted. 

Don’t hesitate to contact us with news tips. Just send a message to simon@teslarati.cDon ‘t give us a heads up.

Simon is an experienced automotive reporter with a passion for electric cars and clean energy. Fascinated by the world envisioned by Elon Musk, he hopes to make it to Mars (at least as a tourist) someday. For stories or tips--or even to just say a simple hello--send a message to his email, simon@teslarati.com or his handle on X, @ResidentSponge.

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Elon Musk says he’s open to powering Apple’s Siri with xAI’s Grok

Siri, one of the first intelligent AI assistants in the market, has become widely outdated and outperformed by rivals over the years.

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Gage Skidmore, CC BY-SA 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

Elon Musk says he’s willing to help Apple overhaul Siri by integrating xAI’s Grok 4.1, igniting widespread excitement and speculations about a potential collaboration between the two tech giants. 

Siri, one of the first intelligent AI assistants in the market, has become widely outdated and outperformed by rivals over the years.

Musk open to an Apple collaboration

Musk’s willingness to team up with Apple surfaced after an X user suggested replacing Siri with Grok 4.1 to modernize the AI assistant. The original post criticized Siri’s limitations and urged Apple to adopt a more advanced AI system. “It’s time for Apple to team up with xAI and actually fix Siri. Replace that outdated, painfully dumb assistant with Grok 4.1. Siri deserves to be Superintelligent,” the X user wrote.

Musk quoted the post, responding with, “I’m down.” Musk’s comment quickly attracted a lot of attention among X’s users, many of whom noted that a Grok update to Siri would be appreciated because Apple’s AI assistant has legitimately become terrible in recent years. Others also noted that Grok, together with Apple’s potential integration of Starlink connectivity, would make iPhones even more compelling. 

Grok promises major Siri upgrades

The enthusiasm stems largely from Grok 4.1’s technical strengths, which include stronger reasoning and improved creative output. xAI also designed the model to reduce hallucinations, as noted in a Reality Tea report. Supporters believe these improvements could address Apple’s reported challenges developing its own advanced AI systems, giving Siri the upgrade many users have waited years for.

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Reactions ranged from humorous to hopeful, with some users joking that Siri would finally “wake up with a personality” if paired with Grok. Siri, after all, was a trailblazer in voice assistants, but it is currently dominated by rivals in terms of features and capabilities. Grok could change that, provided that Apple is willing to collaborate with Elon Musk’s xAI.

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Tesla’s top-rated Supercharger Network becomes Stellantis’ new key EV asset

The rollout begins in North America early next year before expanding to Japan and South Korea in 2027.

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Credit: Tesla

Stellantis will adopt Tesla’s North American Charging System (NACS) across select battery-electric vehicles starting in 2026, giving customers access to more than 28,000 Tesla Superchargers across five countries. 

The rollout begins in North America early next year before expanding to Japan and South Korea in 2027, significantly boosting public fast-charging access for Jeep, Dodge, and other Stellantis brands. The move marks one of Stellantis’ largest infrastructure expansions to date.

Stellantis unlocks NACS access

Beginning in early 2026, Stellantis BEVs, including models like the Jeep Wagoneer S and Dodge Charger Daytona, will gain access to Tesla’s Supercharger network across North America. The integration will extend to Japan and South Korea in 2027, with the 2026 Jeep Recon and additional next-generation BEVs joining the list as compatibility expands. Stellantis stated that details on adapters and network onboarding for current models will be released closer to launch, as noted in a press release.

The company emphasizes that adopting NACS aligns with a broader strategy to give customers greater freedom of choice when charging, especially as infrastructure availability becomes a deciding factor for EV buyers. With access to thousands of high-speed stations, Stellantis aims to reduce range anxiety and improve long-distance travel convenience across its global portfolio.

Tesla Supercharger network proves its value

Stellantis’ move also comes as Tesla’s Supercharger system continues to earn top rankings for reliability and user experience. In the 2025 Zapmap survey, drawn from nearly 4,000 BEV drivers across the UK, Tesla Superchargers were named the Best Large EV Charging Network for the second year in a row. The study measured reliability, ease of use, and payment experience across the country’s public charging landscape.

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Tesla’s UK network now includes 1,115 open Supercharger devices at 97 public locations, representing roughly 54% of its total footprint and marking a 40% increase in public availability since late 2024. Zapmap highlighted the Supercharger network’s consistently lower pricing compared to other rapid and ultra-rapid providers, alongside its strong uptime and streamlined user experience. These performance metrics further reinforce the value of Stellantis’ decision to integrate NACS across major markets.

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Tesla FSD and Robotaxis are making people aware how bad human drivers are

These observations really show that Tesla’s focus on autonomy would result in safer roads for everyone.

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Credit: Tesla

Tesla FSD and the Robotaxi network are becoming so good in their self-driving performance, they are starting to highlight just how bad humans really are at driving. 

This could be seen in several observations from the electric vehicle community.

Robotaxis are better than Uber, actually

Tesla’s Robotaxi service is only available in Austin and the Bay Area for now, but those who have used the service have generally been appreciative of its capabilities and performance. Some Robotaxi customers have observed that the service is simply so much more affordable than Uber, and its driving is actually really good.

One veteran Tesla owner, @BLKMDL3, recently noted that the Robotaxi service has become better than Uber simply because FSD now drives better than some human drivers.  Apart from the fact that Robotaxis allow riders to easily sync their phones to the rear display, the vehicles generally provide a significantly more comfortable ride than their manually-driven counterparts from Uber.

FSD is changing the narrative, one ride at a time

It appears that FSD V14 really is something special. The update has received wide acclaim from users since it was released, and the positive reactions are still coming. This was highlighted in a recent post from Tesla owner Travis Nicolette, who shared a recent experience with FSD. As per the Tesla owner, he was quite surprised as his car was able to accomplish a U-turn in a way that exceeded human drivers.

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Yet another example of FSD’s smooth and safe driving was showcased in a recent video, which showed a safety monitor of a Bay Area Robotaxi falling asleep in the driver’s seat. In any other car, a driver falling asleep at the wheel could easily result in a grave accident, but thanks to FSD, both the safety monitor and the passengers remained safe.

These observations, if any, really show that Tesla’s focus on autonomy would result in safer roads for everyone. As per the IIHS, there were 40,901 deaths from motor vehicle crashes in the United States in 2023. The NHTSA also estimated that in 2017, 91,000 police-reported crashes involved drowsy drivers. These crashes led to an estimated 50,000 people injured and 800 deaths. FSD could lower all these tragic statistics by a notable margin.

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