Tesla says it will sell Cybercab robotaxis to customers by year-end

Tesla says customers will be able to buy its steering-wheel-free Cybercab by the end of 2026, with deliveries starting small. The timetable, outlined on its October 21 third-quarter earnings call and reported by TechCrunch, puts a sales target on the robotaxi even as federal regulators investigate the safety certification behind its control-free design.

From an interest form to a delivery target

Tesla first raised the possibility of selling Cybercabs to outside buyers around its September event in Austin. It also posted a form for people interested in buying robotaxis. That outreach invited potential customers to express interest, but left open whether Tesla would follow through and how a sales program would work.

The earnings call supplied a timetable. Lars Moravy, Tesla’s vice president of engineering, said customer deliveries would begin at a small scale. Tesla would increase that business as it learns about delivering autonomous vehicles, their ownership and fleet management. His description made the initial customer rollout a learning phase, rather than a promise of immediate high-volume sales.

For now, all Cybercabs being produced are destined for Tesla’s own robotaxi fleet, Moravy said. The customer-sales plan therefore describes a next step, not vehicles already being delivered to outside owners. It would add customer ownership alongside Tesla’s operation of the vehicles, rather than replace the company’s own fleet.

Elon Musk described Cybercab primarily as a ride-hailing vehicle, contrasting it with Tesla models such as the Model 3 and Model Y that people would want to own. Despite the planned customer sales, he said the vast majority of Cybercabs would remain Tesla-owned and provide rides as a service.

But, you know, the vast majority of the Cybercab stuff will be essentially Tesla-owned and transported as a service.

Elon Musk, on Tesla’s third-quarter earnings call, as quoted by TechCrunch

The control-free design faces a federal test

The gold-colored, autonomous two-seater lacks a steering wheel and other traditional controls. That design is central to the regulatory question surrounding its rollout. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration opened an investigation in September, just hours after Cybercabs began operating on public streets in Austin.

Automakers traditionally certify for themselves that their vehicles comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards, and Tesla did so for Cybercab. NHTSA’s investigation examines the process and technical data Tesla relied on when making that certification, along with related issues. It puts the company’s compliance case—not simply its ability to produce and sell the vehicles—under scrutiny.

Current federal standards require manual controls such as brake pedals, as well as features including rearview and side mirrors. The Department of Transportation has proposed removing manual-control requirements for vehicles designed to drive autonomously. That is a proposed change, not an existing accommodation for Cybercab’s design.

The inquiry’s outcome could affect whether Tesla or an outside buyer can legally operate a Cybercab. Tesla’s year-end sales target remains a company plan; the unresolved federal review could affect the fleet business it intends to offer customers.