This is going to be a comical debate to reference in a few years absent some avalanche of regulations limiting the autonomous vehicle industry. Even as such, it could render blue states (with EDS) just that much less competitive economically. I am reminded of the 'taxi medallion' controversy around Trump's 'fixer.'

Cybercab picking me up at my hotel to take me to breakfast. You’ll feel like a VIP getting into this car! pic.twitter.com/QHtt79jH6V

— Innovating (@InnovatingCoin) September 4, 2026

nortex97 said:

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bonfarr said:

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Musk said in February the Cyber Cab would be available for purchase by the public by the end of the year for an estimated $30k. I don't think he will make that timeline but looks like eventually you will be able to buy one.

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It's going to happen still, but I doubt it will be at scale, plus it depends on the revenue/maintenance split/deal etc. If you buy a cybercab and they make you offer it across, for instance, DFW including Deep Ellum/South Oak Cliff etc. at various hours, insurance rates and coverage of damage or what you keep for revenue would matter imho.

I think customer-owned cybercabs are likely a short-term offering, pending more autonomous vehicles offered to consumers. TSLA wants to ultimately 'own/dominate' the autonomous personal mobility fleet market themselves, not to deal with 'air bnb host ratings' types of issues. It's likely to be a short-term cash flow plug for them, imho.

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You might be right. But it seems to me allowing owner operators would be a quick way to dominate much like FedEx Ground did and recently Amazon when building out their own delivery service.

You figure somebody else handles everything. All Tesla does is sell them the Cybercab, maybe take a cut of the fares.

Prosperity is going to trend towards the societies that default say "yes" and away from societies that default say "no" in a time of ever increasing computer automation.


Nerd stuff:

Sure, and I agree with hph6203 also (though I do think fedex has been poorly run for many years at this point, that's off topic here). Elon has communicated it will be a permissive structure, which is promising.

Elon Musk explains how Tesla’s Cybercab fleet will work:

“Think of Tesla like some combination of Airbnb and Uber. There’ll be some number of cars that Tesla owns itself and operates in the fleet, and then there’ll be a bunch of cars owned by the end user.

That end user can add… pic.twitter.com/2fCKDQNbli

— DogeDesigner (@cb_doge) September 5, 2026

To hph' point I also think the blue states/cities are working to restrict this but they ultimately will fail over time.

Uber is lobbying for a law that would force every robotaxi company to give 85% of its rides to human drivers.

And there's exactly one company in America with millions of human drivers ready to rent out. Uber.

The backstory makes it better. Uber spent a decade fighting these… https://t.co/AKgI61fIGn

— Aakash Gupta (@aakashgupta) September 5, 2026

Of course Uber will oppose this… not sure I'll take a cyber taxi but uber rolled over yellow cab now they don't want in other competition

NHTSA opened an investigation into cybercab compliance yesterday, fwiw. Swamp gonna swamp.

Quote:

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But with new innovations come new problems. Today, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced it was opening an investigation into whether or not the Cybercab is in compliance with safety standards.

Quote:

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Tesla launched the Cybercab, a two-seater gold coupe without pedals or mirrors, saying Thursday that customers in Austin, Texas can book rides through its Robotaxi ride-hailing app.

The vehicle's novel design potentially puts it in conflict with federal safety standards, which were developed for traditional motor vehicles by and large several decades ago. Tesla told the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration the Cybercab meets "all applicable" standards, the regulator said in a filing made public Friday.

But the regulator wants to examine the process and technical data that Tesla relied upon to make the compliance claim, according to the filing. NHTSA said it would conduct an audit and consider the extent to which Tesla's certification depended on determinations that certain standards are inapplicable to the Cybercab...

If NHTSA determines the Cybercab isn't compliant with federal safety standards, the agency could order a recall to address any issues, after a series of procedural steps. Refusing such an order could expose Tesla to major fines.

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Unfortunately, this is the kind of problem Tesla seems to run into pretty often. I'm sure the NHTSA safety regulations mandate that every car on the road has side mirrors. The Cybercab doesn't have those because there's no human driver and no way for a human to drive even if they wanted to. So this is a situation where common sense says one thing and the written regs probably say something else. Whether or not NHTSA decides it can adapt the regs to a changing reality is anyone's guess.

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To be fair, it's inevitable there will eventually be fatal accidents involving these vehicles (as with every single vehicle ever sold), and regulators/bureaucrats, whether they have EDS/TDS or not, probably see a need to 'see the data' before 'allowing' the progress to move forward. I'm surprised they don't already have the data, though.

Elon hawking the owner-based ride rental scheme here.

If I had one, I could see perhaps allowing it to be used but I'd want control over who gets to use it. I'm good with taking little granny to the grocery store, but not for taking the hoodlum to his drug pickup location. So "where are you at" and "where are you going" would have to be a filter in order for me to participate.

Elon Musk explains how Tesla owners will make money from its Cybercab fleet:

“For the fleet that is owned by our customers, it’ll be like an Airbnb thing. You can add or subtract your car to the fleet whenever you want.

You can say, ‘I’m going away for a week.’ Just one tap on… pic.twitter.com/Ck1BKzj5F3

— DogeDesigner (@cb_doge) September 5, 2026

The thing that is absolutely amazing is how accurate it is with every object around it. You watch it paint the objects in real-time on that display as it travels and it's mind blowing. Even accurately painting cars traveling across the upcoming intersection, while it sits several cars behind that intersection.

Manually operated vehicles are done for.

This is by far the best way to be transported to your destination.

The Tesla Cybercab offers an experience like no other. If you need to work, it provides solitude. If you’re tired, you can recline the seats and lie down. If you want to… pic.twitter.com/GcPIOSEuA7

— Nic Cruz Patane (@niccruzpatane) September 4, 2026

Finally some guesstimates from what strikes me as an adult analyst.

2. The assumptions doing the work

- A dollar a mile, 25 mph, five mile trips
- 40% of miles driven empty, 35% to Tesla
- FSD at 199 a month, home charging at 16 cents pic.twitter.com/FyaCSAD3Ea

— Genius Thinking (@GeniusGTX) September 5, 2026

8. Nobody can buy one yet

No consumer has been sold a Cybercab, the price and date rest on a Musk reply on X, and the model assumes unsupervised autonomy is legal where you park.

Basher runs an advisory firm and Ong holds Tesla orders.

— Genius Thinking (@GeniusGTX) September 5, 2026

I doubt Tesla will want owner operators online lamenting their losses, so that seems unlikely (worst case) but I look forward to seeing more estimates/details in the next few months.

More at the thread/video of course.

NHTSA already has open discussions on whether they should continue to require mirrors and pedals. Head of NHTSA also has acknowledged that current regulations are too restrictive for autonomous vehicles. Seems to be the strategy to force NHTSA to confront the validity of the existing regulations and plant their flag on what is actually necessary. If they fail they just request the 2500 exemption the way Zoox did, push forward to the cap and demonstrate the safety of the vehicle while expanding the service using the Model Y.

https://t.co/eZsMH2jza3

— Cern Basher (@CernBasher) September 5, 2026

I just want a car that can go back home when I get to the office, and then be nearby and ready to pick me up when it's quitting time. That alone would keep my family from needing a 2nd car.

Can we have that first? please?

That is the end goal of this. A car you don't need to own that is there when you need it. At your desk you say you want to go home and it's there by the time you walk from your desk to the parking lot. At a per mile cost lower than it would cost to own a car.

AustinAg2K said:

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Tesla has lost its way. It originally successful because they made cars people actually wanted to own. The Cyber Cab looks even worse than the Cyber Truck. Get back to making decent looking cars.

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Get back? They haven't made a good looking car yet.

TXAG 05 said:

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AustinAg2K said:

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Tesla has lost its way. It originally successful because they made cars people actually wanted to own. The Cyber Cab looks even worse than the Cyber Truck. Get back to making decent looking cars.

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Get back? They haven't made a good looking car yet.

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No one has made a good looking car since the 80s. They all look the same now!

It's kind of hard to design around that gigantic rectangular battery.

Has the robot head tax resurfaced yet? Figured this would kick start that again.

Tex100 said:

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Rode Waymo cars in San Francisco a few weeks ago. Great experience other than it wouldn't pick us up or drop us off in front of our hotel. Area was a little sketchy.

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I rode it in LA - and some lady with her 3 kids was trying to jaywalk

damn thing stopped and didn't even flip her off or yell at her being a stoopid lib

prefer my Uber drivers like my coffee- dark and strong smelling

Dawnguard said:

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I just want a car that can go back home when I get to the office, and then be nearby and ready to pick me up when it's quitting time. That alone would keep my family from needing a 2nd car.

Can we have that first? please?

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I'd like it to do two things, in addition to the routine short trips in town:

1) Take me to the airport, return home, open the garage, close the garage, charge itself, then pick me up when I return. Save money on parking.

2) Take me to Aggie games (110 miles from Austin), charge itself if needed and loiter somewhere till the game is over, then pick me up at a place of my choosing for the return home.

I wonder how far we are from making this a reality?

I bleed maroon said:

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Dawnguard said:

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I just want a car that can go back home when I get to the office, and then be nearby and ready to pick me up when it's quitting time. That alone would keep my family from needing a 2nd car.

Can we have that first? please?

---

I'd like it to do two things, in addition to the routine short trips in town:

1) Take me to the airport, return home, open the garage, close the garage, charge itself, then pick me up when I return. Save money on parking.

2) Take me to Aggie games (110 miles from Austin), charge itself if needed and loiter somewhere till the game is over, then pick me up at a place of my choosing for the return home.

I wonder how far we are from making this a reality?

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I'd like it to drive to Walmart after I place my grocery order, have it loaded with my order by the store attendants, then drive itself home, open the garage and park. Then have my Optima robot unload it and prepare dinner for me.

Logos Stick said:

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I bleed maroon said:

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Dawnguard said:

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I just want a car that can go back home when I get to the office, and then be nearby and ready to pick me up when it's quitting time. That alone would keep my family from needing a 2nd car.

Can we have that first? please?

---

I'd like it to do two things, in addition to the routine short trips in town:

1) Take me to the airport, return home, open the garage, close the garage, charge itself, then pick me up when I return. Save money on parking.

2) Take me to Aggie games (110 miles from Austin), charge itself if needed and loiter somewhere till the game is over, then pick me up at a place of my choosing for the return home.

I wonder how far we are from making this a reality?

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I'd like it to drive to Walmart after I place my grocery order, have it loaded with my order by the store attendants, then drive itself home, open the garage and park. Then have my Optima robot unload it and prepare dinner for me.

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The beginning of the end of human autonomy and growth and dominance of the surveillance state. War till you find out that every one of these is basically a flock camera. But as long as he pays Trump and MAGA it's all good.

shiftyandquick said:

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The beginning of the end of human autonomy and growth and dominance of the surveillance state. War till you find out that every one of these is basically a flock camera. But as long as he pays Trump and MAGA it's all good.

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I have been assured by the EVangelists that all cars track you these days.

Those damn roads dictated where people could go, and we've been restricted in movement ever since. The move from horses was oppressive and people don't even realize it!

Cybercab is just the initial form factor, with others to follow. Hopefully in other colors I'd say.

JPMorgan after meeting with Tesla recently in Fremont:

"Tesla indicated it is intentionally holding back on adding Model Y units to the robotaxi fleet, expressing confidence in its ability to scale Cybercab in the near-term. On FSD V15, Tesla views this release as a step-change… pic.twitter.com/W9yGCWRT3C

— Sawyer Merritt (@SawyerMerritt) August 20, 2026

I bleed maroon said:

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Dawnguard said:

---

I just want a car that can go back home when I get to the office, and then be nearby and ready to pick me up when it's quitting time. That alone would keep my family from needing a 2nd car.

Can we have that first? please?

---

I'd like it to do two things, in addition to the routine short trips in town:

1) Take me to the airport, return home, open the garage, close the garage, charge itself, then pick me up when I return. Save money on parking.

2) Take me to Aggie games (110 miles from Austin), charge itself if needed and loiter somewhere till the game is over, then pick me up at a place of my choosing for the return home.

I wonder how far we are from making this a reality?

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You'll need wireless like charging plates like we already have for phones. I'm sure it's been prototyped already by Elon knowing him.

They bought a company called Wiferion a couple of years ago. Uses a technology called resonant induction that can charge over an air gap, meaning the Cybercab can drive over it and the plate doesn't need to make physical contact. Their technology hit 93% efficiency to pack before being acquired.

BREAKING: The FCC today officially granted @Tesla a waiver allowing it to use Ultra-Wideband (UWB) radio technology for its wireless EV charging system that will be used to wirelessly charge the Cybercab.

Normally, this kind of radio must be handheld and can’t be installed… pic.twitter.com/pve5NSoqtc

— Sawyer Merritt (@SawyerMerritt) February 19, 2026

Tesla plans to install 80 wireless vehicle chargers as part of Phase 2 of a new Robotaxi charging hub in Austin, Texas, in preparation for Cybercab expansion, according to a new permit filing. https://t.co/91lLFpvF0D pic.twitter.com/akTXE5ZBx2

— Sawyer Merritt (@SawyerMerritt) August 18, 2026

Every penny matters for Robotaxi scale, including charging.

We're using public Superchargers where we can, especially at night when utilization is low. We're also building dedicated Robotaxi Superchargers: back-to-back sessions, low-cost real estate close to demand, low capex.… https://t.co/qlJx3KUEcF

— Max (@MdeZegher) September 3, 2026

There you go. I'm as smart as Elon.

To the rest of you morons.... please bow before my high level IQ.

If not already there it won't be long before I'll take these FSD taxis over 80 percent of the drivers i get now with Uber. And don't get me started on the standard taxis whose card machines seem to have the same uptime as the ice cream machines at a Mcdonald's.

I will say that I do like having a standard set of personal items with me in the car. I think i'd need to own my own vehicle.

Squadron7 said:

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If not already there it won't be long before I'll take these FSD taxis over 80 percent of the drivers i get now with Uber. And don't get me started on the standard taxis whose card machines seem to have the same uptime as the ice cream machines at a Mcdonald's.

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You don't like getting into a car and being forced to listen to extremely explicit rap music at 1000 decibels? That's always fun.

Can someone summarize the renting out of uber "licenses" or whatever to illegals or whoever? Not familiar with this.

At Tesla they know a thing or two, because they've seen a thing or two.

🚨 BREAKING: Amazon Prime Air 767 overran runway at MIA, stopped near Tesla lot (incl. Cybercabs).
Multiple injuries, deaths possible.pic.twitter.com/6BwPWrH1t8

— Teslasti Basti (@BastianBraun121) September 6, 2026

Squadron7 said:

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Can someone summarize the renting out of uber "licenses" or whatever to illegals or whoever? Not familiar with this.

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You are approved to drive uber/lyft, let illegal drive for you using your account, you are paid a fee from illegal.

I wonder if any of the involved cybercabs got decent video of getting rear-ended by the Boeing.

The first Cybercab accident is not what I expected https://t.co/9KknfA7tRp pic.twitter.com/YFvz9HfsJS

— Robin (@xdNiBoR) September 6, 2026

nortex97 said:

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I wonder if any of the involved cybercabs got decent video of getting rear-ended by the Boeing.

The first Cybercab accident is not what I expected https://t.co/9KknfA7tRp pic.twitter.com/YFvz9HfsJS

— Robin (@xdNiBoR) September 6, 2026

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OK - I know Bezos and Musk have a bit of a billionaire feud at times, but this appears to be taking it a bit too far!

flown-the-coop said:

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If Tiger Woods is not the launch day spokesman here its a huge miss for Elon...

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.

Nice