Tesla to Begin Production of Autonomous Electric Cybercab in April
During Tesla’s shareholder meeting on Thursday, CEO Elon Musk announced that the company will start producing the Cybercab, an autonomous electric vehicle with no pedals or steering wheel, at its factory in Austin, Texas, beginning in April.
Musk’s revelation about the Cybercab came shortly after shareholders approved a compensation package for him that could potentially be valued at $1 trillion in company shares, making it the largest in corporate history.
According to Musk, the Cybercab is the first car specifically designed for unsupervised, full self-driving as a robotaxi. It features no pedals, steering wheel, or side mirrors, and is optimized for the lowest cost-per-mile in autonomous mode. Production will take place at Tesla’s Austin factory, with plans to start manufacturing next April.
Despite years of promises, Tesla has yet to demonstrate that its vehicles are capable of driving themselves at scale without a safety monitor.
Interestingly, Musk’s statements about the Cybercab differ from those of Tesla chairwoman Robyn Denholm, who recently mentioned that the vehicle would include a steering wheel and pedals as a backup plan. Originally, Tesla planned to release a version of the Cybercab with traditional controls, but Musk decided to focus on stripped-down versions of its cheapest cars instead.
Musk also highlighted the rapid production capabilities of the Cybercab, stating that the manufacturing line would have a 10-second cycle time, significantly faster than the one-minute cycle time for assembling a Model Y. He projected the potential to produce 2-3 million Cybercabs annually.
Following the initial reveal of the Cybercab in October 2024, Tesla has since launched a basic robotaxi service using Model Y SUVs equipped with a new “unsupervised” version of Tesla’s Full Self-Driving software. These driverless rides currently have a Tesla employee in the passenger seat.
Deploying a vehicle like the Cybercab without standard equipment such as a steering wheel will require approval from federal regulators. Tesla’s move mirrors Zoox, an Amazon-backed company that secured an exemption to demonstrate its custom-built robotaxis on public roads but is still seeking approval for commercial operation.
While the regulatory process for exemptions can be challenging, Musk remains optimistic and expressed gratitude to Waymo for leading the way in autonomous vehicle regulation. He believes that widespread adoption of vehicles like the Cybercab will make it increasingly difficult for regulators to deny their presence in cities.
