Tesla says it will start selling its Cybercab, a two-seat self-driving car with no steering wheel, to customers by the end of 2026. The company said this on its third-quarter earnings call. The promise comes with limits: most Cybercabs will stay with Tesla, deliveries will be small and a US safety investigation is still open. Here is what was said and what is unclear.
What Tesla Said
TechCrunch reports that Lars Moravy, Tesla’s vice president of engineering, said on the call that the company is trying to get Cybercabs to customers by the end of 2026. InsideEVs quotes him as saying, “In short, we’re trying to get to customers by the end of this year, 2026.” He said Tesla will “mainly deliver fully designed autonomous vehicles to our customers” and start small, then scale up as it learns about delivery, ownership and fleet management.
Most Cybercabs Will Stay With Tesla
CEO Elon Musk said, “The vast majority of the Cybercab stuff will be essentially Tesla-owned and transport as a service.” That means Tesla will own most of the cars and offer rides in them, not sell them to individuals. Moravy said that for now, all Cybercabs coming off the Texas production line are going to Tesla’s own robotaxi fleet, according to TechCrunch and InsideEVs. So the first outside buyers are likely to be fleet operators, not ordinary car owners. InsideEVs says early private buyers would largely act as beta testers.
What Is the Cybercab?
- A two-seat car with no steering wheel or other traditional controls, according to TechCrunch.
- Tesla has said it is built for autonomous driving.
- Cybercabs began running on public roads in Austin, Texas, and Teslarati says the first ones joined Tesla’s Robotaxi service in early September.
- Tesla offers paid rides in Austin, and InsideEVs says it plans to expand to Dallas soon.
Price
Musk earlier said the Cybercab would cost under $30,000. The reports I read give no new price. InsideEVs suggests that private buyers should not expect that price soon, and Teslarati says Tesla “previously indicated” about $30,000. This is an estimate and not a confirmed price.
The Safety Investigation
TechCrunch reports that the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) opened an investigation last month, soon after the cars began running on public streets. It is looking at the process and data Tesla used to self-certify that the Cybercab meets federal safety standards. Current federal rules require things like brake pedals and mirrors. The US Department of Transportation has proposed removing some of those requirements for vehicles designed to drive themselves, but that is not yet final.
TechCrunch says the outcome could affect whether Tesla or anyone else can legally operate the Cybercab. InsideEVs notes that another robotaxi company, Zoox, received NHTSA approval to offer paid rides in a vehicle without typically required controls. Teslarati says “some hurdles” remain and that early buyers could have the cars’ self-driving limited to certain areas because of regulators.
Full Self-Driving Timeline
Musk said an unsupervised version of Tesla’s Full Self-Driving would reach customers in the second quarter of next year, according to TechCrunch. If both timelines hold, third-party fleet buyers could get the driverless Cybercab before Tesla owners get unsupervised FSD. Teslarati reports that Tesla had reached nearly two million cumulative unsupervised Robotaxi miles by the end of the quarter.
What Is Not Clear
- How many Cybercabs Tesla has built. InsideEVs says a few hundred have been made for development, but TechCrunch and Teslarati give no firm number.
- The price for outside buyers.
- Whether individuals can buy one, and how they could use a car with no steering wheel.
- Whether the NHTSA investigation will delay sales.
Tesla has often missed its own deadlines for self-driving products, so treat a year-end target with care. Teslarati says Tesla’s own wording was that it is “trying” to reach customers.
Does This Affect Pakistan?
No. The Cybercab is being tested and sold in the United States. No plan for Pakistan has been reported.
Frequently Asked Questions
When will Tesla sell the Cybercab?
By the end of 2026, if it meets its target, starting with small deliveries.
Can anyone buy one?
Not yet. Most Cybercabs will stay with Tesla for its own ride service.
How much does it cost?
No new price has been announced. Musk earlier said under $30,000.
Does it have a steering wheel?
No, according to TechCrunch.
Is it legal to drive?
That depends on the NHTSA investigation and on federal rules, which are still being worked on.
The Cybercab promise shows how Tesla wants to move from selling cars to running driverless rides. Whether sales start on time will depend on regulators as much as on the technology.
