Tesla says third-party fleets can buy Cybercabs by end of year
Tesla Schedules Cybercab Sales While Regulators Investigate
Tesla announced Wednesday it will begin selling its autonomous Cybercab to customers by the end of the year, entering a commercial market even as federal safety regulators investigate whether the gold-hued vehicle complies with standard motor vehicle rules.
The Tech TL;DR:
- Tesla plans to sell the steering-wheel-free Cybercab to customers by the end of the year, shifting focus from software updates on consumer cars to a dedicated transport-as-a-service fleet.
- The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration opened an investigation into whether the Cybercab’s lack of manual controls, brake pedals, and mirrors meets Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards.
- Third-party fleet buyers may operate the autonomous Cybercab before individual Tesla owners receive access to unsupervised Full Self-Driving capabilities.
Fleet Strategy Shifts Away From Consumer Conversions
During the company’s third-quarter earnings call, Lars Moravy, vice president of engineering at Tesla, stated that the Cybercabs currently rolling off production lines are destined exclusively for the automaker’s internal robotaxi fleet. As that fleet scales up, the company will gradually deliver fully designed autonomous vehicles to external customers, starting small to learn about delivery, ownership, and fleet management logistics.
This approach marks a distinct pivot from previous strategy. For years, CEO Elon Musk promised a massive robotaxi network built by deploying a software update to privately owned Tesla vehicles already on the road. That software-driven consumer fleet has not materialized. Instead, Musk clarified during the call that the Cybercab is built strictly for ride-hailing services rather than personal ownership, separating it from consumer models like the 3, Y, and the Roadster.
Federal Safety Standards Threaten Cybercab Deployment Timeline
Federal scrutiny threatens to disrupt Tesla’s deployment timeline. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced an investigation into the Cybercab just hours after the vehicles commenced operation on public streets in Austin. Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards mandate traditional manual controls, including physical brake pedals, rearview mirrors, and side mirrors.
Automakers traditionally self-certify compliance with these rules, a path Tesla followed for the Cybercab. While current federal rules do not accommodate vehicles built entirely without manual controls, the Department of Transportation recently proposed removing those specific mandates for dedicated autonomous designs. Pending the outcome of the ongoing federal review—which will examine the technical data and certification processes Tesla used—the legality of operating the Cybercab remains uncertain.
Fleet Buyers Get Autonomous Vehicles Before Individual Owners
While third-party fleet buyers could acquire the autonomous two-seater by the end of the year, everyday Tesla owners face continued delays regarding autonomous software. Musk stated that an unsupervised version of Full Self-Driving will deploy to customer vehicles in the second quarter of next year. Current users must still subscribe to Full Self-Driving (Supervised) and remain actively engaged behind the wheel. If both commercial schedules hold, third-party fleet operators will purchase and run autonomous Cybercabs before individual drivers gain access to equivalent self-driving capabilities in their personal cars.
Related reading