Tesla held a closed-door event in Austin, Texas to officially introduce the Cybercab, a two-seat autonomous vehicle representing a significant moment for the company’s autonomous driving ambitions. The launch was notably private, with no livestream, no press attendance, and invitations limited primarily to Tesla-aligned content creators. Attendees were required to sign non-disclosure agreements and abide by embargoes on sharing content, which sparked criticism from some pro-Tesla accounts on social media who felt excluded from the announcement.
The Cybercab is a stripped-down vehicle designed without traditional steering wheels, pedals, mirrors, or common autonomous vehicle sensors such as radar and lidar. Instead, it relies on eight cameras for navigation. The vehicle features gullwing doors and operates with a single front-mounted motor and a compact battery pack. According to regulatory filings, the Cybercab weighs approximately 3,113 pounds, making it roughly 700 pounds lighter than Tesla’s Model 3 and comparable to a conventional compact car despite carrying a lithium-ion battery.
Currently, Tesla has 45 Cybercab vehicles registered with the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles, though the timeline for commercial deployment remains unclear. The company has been testing the vehicles in multiple cities for several months and has begun making units available to Tesla influencers for content creation. Tesla also launched a new website detailing Robotaxi service rules, including restrictions such as banning children under 13 from riding in the vehicles.
Tesla’s autonomous fleet now comprises 256 unsupervised vehicles operating across six cities, significantly smaller than competitor Waymo’s approximately 4,000 vehicles deployed across 14 cities. Key details about the Cybercab remain unanswered, including its retail price and launch date, though Musk previously suggested it could cost as low as $30,000. The company has launched a registration form for those interested in fleet purchases or infrastructure development opportunities.
The launch comes amid a pattern of delayed timelines and unfulfilled promises regarding Tesla’s autonomous capabilities. Musk previously predicted 50 percent of the U.S. population would have access to Tesla robotaxis by the end of 2025, a projection that has not materialized. Tesla’s current Full Self-Driving feature remains classified as a Level 2 driver-assist system requiring human supervision. During earnings calls, Musk indicated that unsupervised autonomous capabilities for customer vehicles would arrive by the end of 2026 “at the earliest.”
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