Last Thursday (23), Tesla officially announced the start of production of its autonomous taxi, the Cybercab. Manufacturing will take place at the company’s Gigafactory in Austin, Texas (USA).
showcased the vehicle in a video published on its official X profile. The Cybercab, designed exclusively for autonomous operation, appears leaving the assembly line with the caption “built for autonomy.”
The Cybercab is a two-seater vehicle that redefines traditional automotive design by operating without a steering wheel, pedals, or mirrors. Despite its innovation, this configuration puts Tesla at odds with U.S. traffic regulators, which require these features in vehicles authorized to operate on public roads.
To work around regulatory restrictions applied to unconventional vehicles, Tesla is adopting a “self-certification” strategy. According to The Verge, the company argues that the model meets current safety requirements, even while operating fully autonomously.
On the other hand, the company also faces a challenge with its so-called Hardware 3. Although present in millions of vehicles sold between 2019 and 2023, the system may not be sufficient to enable fully “unsupervised” autonomy without significant physical interventions, calling into question claims that those cars were already prepared for this scenario.
In a meeting with investors last week, Tesla CEO Elon Musk reportedly adopted an “unusually reserved” stance regarding the company’s robotaxi service, according to analysts. Despite the initial promise that robotaxis would be available in all U.S. states by the end of 2025, this did not materialize.
A new timeline has now been provided, suggesting operations in only 12 U.S. states by the end of 2026. According to Musk, the process is taking longer than expected because Tesla is highly focused on “validation” and prioritizing maximum system safety before large-scale deployment.
Photo and video: YouTube @tesla / X @Tesla. This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team.
Purpose-built for autonomy
Cybercab in production now at Giga Texas pic.twitter.com/Y9qG3KyWBa— Tesla (@Tesla) April 23, 2026
