Cybercab: the machine behind the fleet
Design, technology, and manufacturing — what you're actually buying and running if you go this route.
Design
Cybercab is a two-seat, purpose-built robotaxi — not a repurposed Model 3 or Y. There's no steering wheel, no pedals, and no way for a passenger to take manual control; it's built exclusively for autonomous operation.1
The body is a two-door coupe with butterfly doors that open on their own (no handles), a hatchback cargo opening, and no side mirrors or rear window — sensors and cameras replace them. Body panels are polyurethane with the color mixed in rather than painted on, which cuts a step out of production. Curb weight is around 3,113 lb (1,412 kg), with a payload capacity of roughly 617 lb (280 kg).1
Technology
Power comes from a single front motor (219 hp / 163 kW) paired with a 48 kWh battery pack — small by Tesla standards, since the car isn't designed for long solo road trips. EPA preliminary range estimates run 280–418 mi depending on conditions, at roughly 5.5 mi/kWh.1 Tesla has talked about an inductive (wireless) charging system for the fleet, with no visible charge port on prototypes shown so far — useful for a vehicle that's supposed to plug itself in between rides without a human involved.1
On the compute side, Cybercab is reported (not officially confirmed) to run a beefed-up version of Tesla's autonomy hardware — more RAM and possibly more processing modules than the AI4 computer in current Model 3/Y, with some reporting pointing to an early variant of the next-generation "AI5" chip. Tesla hasn't published final specs, and current customer vehicles on AI4 are increasingly unlikely to reach full unsupervised self-driving through a software update alone — part of why Cybercab exists as its own hardware platform rather than a retrofit.2
Manufacturing
Cybercab is built at Gigafactory Texas using what Tesla calls the "unboxed" process: instead of one car moving down a single sequential line, sections of the vehicle are built in parallel on separate lines and bonded together at final assembly, using large single-piece "unicastings" (megacastings) in place of dozens of stamped-and-welded parts. Tesla says this cuts both time and cost out of the build versus a traditional line.3
Timeline so far: concept revealed October 10, 2024; first production unit completed at Giga Texas in February 2026; Tesla has targeted volume production by the end of Q2 2026 and says the line is capable of up to 2 million units a year at full tilt.1 By July 2026, Tesla had Cybercabs driving employees around the Giga Texas site itself — still a parking lot, not public roads, but a real step past static prototypes.4 Musk's stated target price is $30,000 or less, separate from and above Tesla's own ~$18,000 internal production-cost estimate — see Overview for how those two numbers relate to what a fleet buyer might actually pay.5
| Spec | Figure |
|---|---|
| Seating | 2 passengers, no driver controls |
| Curb weight / payload | ~3,113 lb / ~617 lb |
| Motor | Single front motor, 219 hp (163 kW) |
| Battery | 48 kWh, 280–418 mi EPA preliminary range |
| Charging | Inductive (wireless) — no visible port on prototypes |
| Factory | Gigafactory Texas, "unboxed" assembly process |
| Production start | First unit Feb 2026; volume target end of Q2 2026 |
| Rated capacity | Up to 2 million units/year at full factory tilt |
| Musk's stated retail target | $30,000 or less (vs. ~$18,000 internal production cost) |