Gigafactory Texas installs dedicated Cybercab assembly lines, begins staging outbound units
- Tesla said on April 24 that Cybercab is now in production at Gigafactory Texas, backing the claim with video of a gold, steering-wheel-free robotaxi driving itself off the line. - Tesla’s April 22 quarterly update said it had only “prepared lines” for Cybercab production, while Elon Musk told investors this week the initial ramp will be “very slow.” - The move shifts Cybercab from factory prep to low-rate output as Tesla expands Robotaxi rides in Texas with Model Y before Cybercab enters service. (tesla.com)
Tesla said April 24 that Cybercab is now in production at Gigafactory Texas, and posted video of the two-seat robotaxi driving itself out of the plant. (cnet.com) (finance.yahoo.com) The vehicle in Tesla’s video had no steering wheel or pedals, matching the Cybercab design Elon Musk showed in October 2024. CNET reported Tesla also posted footage of multiple identical Cybercabs traveling together after leaving the factory. (cnet.com) Tesla’s own timeline changed within two days. In its April 22 first-quarter update, the company said it had “further prepared lines for start of production” of Cybercab; by April 24, Musk said production had started. (assets-ir.tesla.com) (cnet.com) Musk told investors the ramp will start slowly while Tesla validates safety and organizes the supply chain. He said the company wants to avoid “a single accidental injury” as Robotaxi expands. (cnet.com) Tesla is already running Robotaxi service in Austin, Dallas and Houston, but the service uses Model Y vehicles today. Tesla’s Robotaxi site says Cybercab will offer rides “in the future,” not yet. (tesla.com) That makes the factory footage a manufacturing milestone, not a commercial launch. The cars are being built in Texas before Tesla has put the purpose-built vehicle into passenger service. (tesla.com) (cnet.com) A regulatory detail also shapes the ramp. Electrek reported Tesla vice president Lars Moravy said Cybercab is not relying on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration exemption route that caps some noncompliant autonomous vehicles at 2,500 units a year. (electrek.co) (nhtsa.gov) The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said that exemption process still allows up to 2,500 vehicles per year that do not fully meet federal safety standards, including vehicles without steering wheels or driver-operated brakes. Tesla’s position, as reported by Electrek, is that Cybercab is being self-certified to comply instead. (nhtsa.gov) (electrek.co) Tesla’s April 22 shareholder update said Cybercab is expected over time to replace the existing Model Y fleet in the company’s Robotaxi network and become its highest-volume vehicle in that fleet. (ir.tesla.com) For now, the clearest change is narrower: Cybercab has moved from line preparation to early production at Austin, with Tesla itself warning the ramp will be slow. (assets-ir.tesla.com) (cnet.com)
