Tesla to begin Cybercab production in April, Musk claims

Tesla is gearing up to kick off production of its groundbreaking Cybercab, an innovative autonomous electric vehicle designed without pedals or a steering wheel, starting this April at its Austin, Texas factory. CEO Elon Musk announced this exciting development during the company's recent shareholder meeting, shortly after shareholders approved a historic compensation package for him, potentially valued at $1 trillion in company shares. Musk emphasized that the Cybercab is purpose-built for full self-driving capabilities, stating, "We’ve got the first car that is specifically built for unsupervised, full self-driving to be a robotaxi called a Cybercab — it doesn’t even have pedals or steering wheel." He further noted the absence of side mirrors, with a focus on optimizing the vehicle for the lowest cost per mile in autonomous mode. However, conflicting information has emerged regarding the Cybercab's design. While Musk envisions a stripped-down version, Tesla chairwoman Robyn Denholm recently indicated to Bloomberg that the Cybercab would still include a steering wheel and pedals as a safety measure. This shift in design marks a departure from Tesla's earlier intentions to offer a version with traditional driving controls. Musk also highlighted the ambitious manufacturing process for the Cybercab, boasting a cycle time of just 10 seconds, a significant reduction compared to the one-minute assembly time for the Model Y. This efficiency could potentially allow Tesla to produce between 2 million and 3 million Cybercabs annually, making them a common sight on city streets in the future. The Cybercab was initially unveiled in October 2024 during Tesla's "We, Robot" event in California, with promises of future availability for personal use. Although Tesla has launched a basic robotaxi service using Model Y SUVs equipped with a new version of its Full Self-Driving software, this service does not yet utilize the Cybercab. It is important to note that deploying a vehicle without standard controls will necessitate regulatory approval. Earlier this year, Amazon-backed Zoox received an exemption for testing its robotaxis on public roads, but it still awaits the green light for commercial operations. The regulatory landscape remains complex, as evidenced by General Motors’ unsuccessful attempt to gain approval for its Cruise Origin vehicle. In contrast, Waymo continues to operate modified Jaguar I-Pace vehicles, which still have standard controls, while also working on a new model with Zeekr. Despite potential regulatory hurdles, Musk remains optimistic about the Cybercab's future. He expressed gratitude to Waymo for helping pave the way for autonomous vehicles, asserting, "I think we’ll be able to deploy all the Cybercabs that we produce... Once it becomes extremely normal in cities, the regulators will have fewer and fewer reasons to say no."