Tesla's HW2.5 to HW3 retrofit as precedent for HW3 to HW4 — HW3 Claim [ Skip to content ](#main) [ ![](https://hw3claim.nl/favicon.svg) HW3 Claim ](https://hw3claim.nl/en) [About ](https://hw3claim.nl/en/about) [Evidence ](https://hw3claim.nl/en/evidence) [Updates ](https://hw3claim.nl/en/updates) [Stats ](https://hw3claim.nl/en/stats) [FAQ ](https://hw3claim.nl/en/faq) Deutsch English Español Français Nederlands Log in Sign up [ HW3 Claim ](https://hw3claim.nl/en) Deutsch English Español Français Nederlands Log in Sign up [ About ](https://hw3claim.nl/en/about) [ Evidence ](https://hw3claim.nl/en/evidence) [ Updates ](https://hw3claim.nl/en/updates) [ Stats ](https://hw3claim.nl/en/stats) [ FAQ ](https://hw3claim.nl/en/faq) [ Back to all evidence ](https://hw3claim.nl/en/evidence) 11 Internal sources 11 April 2026 Tesla already did this once. They replaced HW2.5 with HW3 for free. =================================================================== When Tesla acknowledged in 2019 that the existing Full Self-Driving Computer (HW2.5) couldn't deliver full self-driving, they gave FSD buyers a free hardware upgrade. That's their own precedent that the hardware promise required a hardware solution; it supports the liability for HW3. “ > If you have purchased Full Self-Driving Capability and have computer 2.0 or 2.5, you qualify for a free upgrade to the Full Self-Driving Computer. ![Google search result showing Tesla's Dutch support page about the free Full Self-Driving Computer upgrade for HW2.0 and HW2.5](https://hw3claim.nl/images/evidence/11-tesla-nl-support-upgrade-policy.png) Tesla Dutch support page for installation of the AI computer, retrieved on 11 April 2026. Tesla still confirms its own upgrade policy. They've done this before ------------------------ In March 2019, Tesla started producing the 'Full Self-Driving Computer 3.0' (HW3). At the same time, Tesla launched a **free retrofit program** for FSD buyers who still had an older Hardware 2.0 or 2.5 computer: - **Buyers with FSD package**: free replacement with the new HW3 computer - **Buyers without FSD package**: paid upgrade (initially approximately $1,500, later reduced to approximately $1,000) Tesla's CEO Elon Musk confirmed this publicly on X/Twitter in July 2019, in reply to researcher Lex Fridman (then at MIT). Dutch tech press reported it in July 2019: Tweakers.net published an article titled '*Elon Musk: Tesla's with HW2+ get free upgrade for FSD by end of this year*' explaining the commitment. The article quoted Musk: > Tesla's own chip is offered for free to Tesla owners who have paid for the Full Self Driving package. It also included a telling observation from Tweakers: '*Tesla has been making promises about this for a long time.*' The precedent is clear ---------------------- Tesla acknowledged in 2019-2020 that when a vehicle with a purchased FSD package doesn't have the right hardware to deliver the promised functionality, the manufacturer replaces the hardware at its own cost. That's not an abstract legal theory. It's Tesla's own policy, executed on thousands of Dutch and European vehicles. In April 2026, Tesla faces exactly the same situation with HW3 vehicles. The only difference is the hardware generation. Tesla's own conduct in 2019-2020 establishes that when the hardware can't deliver the promised functionality, the manufacturer replaces it at its own cost. That is Tesla's own precedent, not an abstract legal theory. The policy is still on Tesla's own website ------------------------------------------ Tesla hasn't withdrawn this retrofit policy. On its current Dutch-language support page it still states: > If you have purchased Full Self-Driving Capability and have computer 2.0 or 2.5, you qualify for a free upgrade to the Full Self-Driving Computer. Tesla literally acknowledges, on its own current Dutch-language site, that the principle applies to computers 2.0 and 2.5. The factual situation for computer 3.0 is the same: same promise, same buyers, same hardware shortfall. Tesla's own precedent applies; the only difference is that Tesla hasn't yet extended it. It happened to this car ----------------------- The initiator of hw3claim.nl had this exact retrofit performed on his Tesla Model 3 on 26 September 2020 at the Amsterdam Tesla Service Center, at no cost. Tesla's own policy in action. Today that HW3 computer has in turn proven insufficient, and Tesla refuses to do the same thing for the step to HW4/AI4. Actions speak louder than marketing copy ---------------------------------------- A loose marketing claim can theoretically be dismissed as 'advertising language'. A concrete corporate policy action can't. Tesla: 1. Performed thousands of hardware upgrades at its own cost 2. Publicly justified that policy through its CEO 3. Had that justification confirmed by international and Dutch press 4. Publicly documented the policy on its own support site to this day This isn't a promise. It's **a course of conduct Tesla established themselves**. Walking away from it for HW3 buyers creates an inconsistency that Tesla can't explain. Source verification ------------------- Tesla's own retrofit policy is archived via the Wayback Machine: - https://web.archive.org/web/20200303081441/https://www.tesla.com/support/full-self-driving-computer (3 March 2020) Electrek reported on the free HW2.5 to HW3 upgrade at the time: - https://electrek.co/2019/03/29/tesla-full-self-driving-computer-retrofit-elon-musk/ Published on 13 April 2026 [Previous 12\. Tesla's Dutch FSD page on 11 April 2026: misleading omission ](https://hw3claim.nl/en/evidence/tesla-nl-fsd-page-april-2026) [Next 10\. RDW European type approval Tesla FSD (Supervised) ](https://hw3claim.nl/en/evidence/rdw-type-approval) [ Back to all evidence ](https://hw3claim.nl/en/evidence) In the press ------------ [View all 90 articles →](https://hw3claim.nl/en/press) [ NRZ Tesla-Autopilot funktioniert in alten Modellen nicht: Niederländer will klagen 17 April 2026 ](https://www.nrz.de/niederlande/article411737164/tesla-autopilot-funktioniert-in-alten-modellen-nicht-niederlaender-will-klagen.html?ref=hw3claim.nl) [ AOL 4 Tesla owners react to their FSD dreams getting crushed: 'It feels like a bait and switch' 27 April 2026 ](https://www.aol.com/news/4-tesla-owners-react-fsd-150028004.html?ref=hw3claim.nl) [ Business Insider DE Teslas Autopilot startet in Europa: Begeisterung trifft auf erste Probleme 20 April 2026 ](https://www.businessinsider.de/wirtschaft/teslas-autopilot-startet-in-europa-begeisterung-trifft-auf-erste-probleme?ref=hw3claim.nl) Stay informed Get updates on the progress of this initiative. No Tesla required. Unsubscribe any time. Subscribe [ ![](https://hw3claim.nl/favicon.svg) HW3 Claim ](https://hw3claim.nl/en)Tesla promised since 2016 that every car with Hardware 3 would become fully self-driving. FSD is now rolling out across the EU, but not on our cars. Every HW3 owner is affected, whether or not they purchased FSD. Stay informed Subscribe Initiative [About](https://hw3claim.nl/en/about) [Evidence](https://hw3claim.nl/en/evidence) [Jurisdictions](https://hw3claim.nl/en/jurisdictions) [Updates](https://hw3claim.nl/en/updates) [Stats](https://hw3claim.nl/en/stats) [Press](https://hw3claim.nl/en/press) Information [FAQ](https://hw3claim.nl/en/faq) [Privacy statement](https://hw3claim.nl/en/privacy) [Terms](https://hw3claim.nl/en/terms) [Contact](https://hw3claim.nl/en/contact) English Deutsch English Español Français Nederlands [ ](https://x.com/mischamartijn) This initiative is run by one Tesla owner. 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