Overview
- Elon Musk told shareholders Tesla will begin Cybercab production in April next year at its Austin factory, saying the vehicle is designed without a steering wheel, pedals or side mirrors.
- Musk touted a 10-second manufacturing cycle time that he said could enable output of two to three million Cybercabs annually.
- Near-production prototypes have been seen testing on public roads around Palo Alto and Los Altos, with units fitted with temporary steering wheels, pedals and mirrors for testing.
- Chair Robyn Denholm recently told Bloomberg the Cybercab could include a backup steering wheel and pedals, a stance that conflicts with Musk's no-controls claim.
- Operating a wheel-less robotaxi would require federal exemptions that have proven difficult, as seen with Zoox's limited approval and GM's failed bid for Cruise Origin, and Tesla has not yet demonstrated unsupervised Full Self-Driving at scale.