Tesla Aims To Sell Cybercabs By Year’s End
Tesla plans to begin selling Cybercabs in small numbers in 2026, while a federal safety investigation and the timing of unsupervised driving software remain unresolved.
Tesla aims to begin selling its Cybercab to customers by the end of 2026, engineering vice president Lars Moravy said during the company’s third-quarter earnings call. The first sales would be limited, even as Tesla produces vehicles for its own robotaxi fleet. The plan comes while federal regulators examine how Tesla certified the vehicle’s compliance with safety standards.
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Sales would begin on a small scale
Moravy said Tesla is already building Cybercabs at its Texas Gigafactory, but current production is intended for Tesla’s fleet, according to Engadget. If customer deliveries begin this year, Tesla plans to increase them gradually as it learns how to handle delivery, ownership and fleet management, TechCrunch reported.
Tesla has begun collecting inquiries from prospective buyers. Engadget said the company is seeking organizations that could help build its robotaxi network, suggesting that fleet purchasers may be among the first customers. CEO Elon Musk said on the call that most Cybercabs would remain Tesla-owned and operate through its ride service. He described the Cybercab primarily as a ride-hailing vehicle rather than a car for individual ownership, according to TechCrunch.
Software timing remains separate from sales
The Cybercab has no steering wheel or brake pedals and cannot be driven by a person. Engadget reported that Tesla unveiled it in 2024 and began offering Cybercab rides through its Robotaxi app in Austin, Texas, in September 2026.
Buying a Cybercab would not necessarily mean a customer could immediately put it into an autonomous ride-hailing fleet. Tesla’s currently available Full Self-Driving system is supervised and still requires an engaged driver. Engadget reported that Tesla AI director Ashok Elluswamy expects the company could activate unsupervised Full Self-Driving on some early customer vehicles intended for the Robotaxi fleet around the second quarter of 2027. TechCrunch separately reported Musk’s statement that an unsupervised version would reach customers sometime in that same quarter. Neither timeline is a completed rollout.
Federal review could affect operations
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration opened an investigation after Cybercabs began operating on public streets in Austin. Tesla self-certified that the vehicles meet applicable Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards, and the agency plans to examine the process and technical data behind that certification, according to both outlets.
TechCrunch noted that existing federal standards call for manual controls and other equipment that the Cybercab lacks, although the Department of Transportation has proposed changing requirements for vehicles designed to drive autonomously. The outlet said the investigation’s outcome could affect whether Tesla or other operators can legally run Cybercabs. Tesla’s proposed sales schedule therefore does not settle when customers might be able to use the vehicles in a robotaxi service.
Sources
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