A few days ago, Tesla released another video of supervised full self-driving (FSD) software testing in Australia, this time featuring a supervised journey around the streets of Sydney.
This update excited many Tesla owners, some of whom have been waiting years, with some speculating that there had been regulatory hurdles the company needed to overcome to finally make the software available locally.
Now, the company’s country director, Thom Drew, has responded on LinkedIn, clarifying that there are no regulatory blockers.
“We have been working with local authorities across AU & NZ and there are no regulatory blockers for release,” Drew said. “We are running through the final stages of validation prior to public release. Looking to start with HW4 on certain vehicles and then release in phases from there.”
This update reveals that the rollout of FSD supervised software will start on hardware 4 (HW4) before further releases in phases to more Tesla vehicles.
HW4 was first released in Australia with the availability of the refreshed Tesla Model 3 vehicles in late 2023.
It was then bought to Tesla Model Ys in 2024 and all vehicles delivered to Australian customers since have included this hardware.
The HW4 system consists of an upgraded computer as well as a suite of external high-resolution cameras that form part of Tesla’s Autopilot system, which relies only on vision with no radars.
These cameras also have better low-light or night driving vision, helping the car see further than HW3-equipped Teslas on our roads.
In early May, Tesla surprised many owners by releasing a video of its supervised FSD software, which showed a black Tesla Model 3 driving on Australian roads without any driver input on its journey around Melbourne CBD.
During that trip, the system was spotted to undertake a unique turn, common in Melbourne, called the hook turn, which is quite a difficult maneuver for many drivers who regularly drive in the city, highlighting the capabilities of the FSD after being trained under local Australian driving conditions.
That was the first right-hand-drive market demonstration the company had shared publicly, exciting many in Australia, New Zealand, the UK and many other markets that drive on our side of the road.
Then came the video last week, showcasing the system driving a black Model 3 in Sydney and sparking conversation around what the roadblockers could be for the system’s arrival in Australia.
With the latest update providing insights into a potential rollout on the way, it’d give many paid FSD drivers assurance that the initial release could be just months away.
Riz is the founder of carloop based in Melbourne, specialising in Australian EV data, insight reports and trends. He is a mechanical engineer who spent the first 7 years of his career building transport infrastructure before starting carloop. He has a passion for cars, particularly EVs and wants to help reduce transport emissions in Australia. He currently drives a red Tesla Model 3.