Elon Musk said Tesla will probably start installing the chip it designed to make its cars self-driving on older vehicles near the end of this year

Joe Skipper/Reuters

Tesla CEO Elon Musk.

• Tesla will likely start installing the chip it designed to one day make its cars autonomous on vehicles that don't already have it near the end of this year, CEO Elon Musk said on Sunday.
• All vehicles made since around the end of 2016 are able to receive the self-driving chip, Musk said, and all Tesla vehicles produced in recent months already have it.
• Once Tesla has developed the necessary software, the chip is designed to allow the electric-car maker's vehicles to drive without human assistance.
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Tesla will likely start installing the chip it designed to one day make its cars autonomous on vehicles that don't already have it near the end of this year, CEO Elon Musk said on Sunday.

"End of Q4, most likely," Musk said on Twitter after being asked when Tesla would upgrade vehicles that were not manufactured with the chip.

All vehicles made since around the end of 2016 are able to receive the self-driving chip, Musk said, and all Tesla vehicles produced in recent months already include it.

Read more: Tesla's Model 3 has been the best-selling EV in the US this year by a huge margin

The electric-car maker unveiled the chip in April, saying it was more capable than a rival chip from Nvidia. (Nvidia disputed Tesla's claim at the time.) Once Tesla has developed the necessary software, the chip is designed to allow its vehicles to drive without human assistance.

Musk has said that will happen next year, pending regulatory approval, a claim experts have cast doubt on. Tesla has previously missed deadlines set by Musk related to autonomous-driving technology, and on Sunday, Musk emphasized the difficulty involved in making autonomous-driving software that is suitable for consumer use.

"Intersections with complex traffic lights & shopping mall parking lots are the two biggest software challenges," he said. "Massive effort required to get to 99.9999% safety."

Have you worked for Tesla? Do you have a story to share? Contact this reporter at mmatousek@businessinsider.com.

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