Self-driving Tesla Cybercab to finally launch on 3 September

The fully autonomous Tesla Cybercab is finally ready to hit the streets, with the futuristic two-seat robotaxi set to launch on 3 September at an exclusive event in Austin, Texas.

Originally revealed in October 2024, along with the 20-seat Tesla Robovan, the Cybercab is described by Tesla as “premium, point-to-point electric transport, accessible to everyone”. It features full self-driving (FSD) technology, with the prototype highlighting its truly autonomous status by not having a steering wheel or pedals for a driver. 

We don’t yet know if the road-worthy version of the Cybercab, which is sure to be slightly different to the prototype we got to look around, will feature some controls in case of an emergency. 

Billions of pounds have been spent on autonomous vehicles by a wide array of manufacturers and technology companies, and thanks to new legislation, self-driving cars are starting to pop up on UK roads. 

Waymo, which is owned by Google's parent company, Alphabet, operates a fleet of self-driving Jaguar I-Pace taxis in several cities in the US, plus Tokyo, Japan, and is working on bringing the service to London. It began testing its car on the streets of the capital in the spring, with a goal of getting customers in cars soon. 

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Meanwhile, Uber recently signed a $1.25billion (£917million) deal with the EV start-up Rivian, one of Tesla’s biggest competitors, to create 50,000 robotaxis based on the Rivian R2 SUV. 

The Tesla Cybercab’s most direct competitor is another two-seat robotaxi from Croatian start-up Verne, which was created by Mate Rimac (of electric hypercar fame) and began operating in Europe earlier this year. So Tesla already has some catching up to do. 

What powertrain and charging details can we expect?

Key details about the Cybercab surfaced online earlier this year, thanks to an application from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the United States which regulates things including automotive emissions, fuel economy and environmental compliance, as well as range, charging and other specifications for pure-electric vehicles. Even ones with no steering wheel.

The application showed the robotaxi features a 53.3kWh battery that, according to the EPA’s strict testing cycle, delivers a range of up to 418 miles. However, that’s presumably only when the Cybercab is driving itself around a city. 

Tesla had claimed the Cybercab will achieve a minimum efficiency figure of around 5.5 miles per kWh. For context, most EVs today return between three to four mi/kWh during our own testing. 

In terms of power, a 219bhp electric motor drives the front wheels, which is a first for Tesla. This is thought to be for packaging reasons, to ensure occupants have the maximum amount of space possible inside the Volkswagen Golf-sized car. The Cybercab’s weight is listed at 3,113lbs – equating to just 1,412kg, a very low figure for a car of this size. Acceleration and top speed figures haven’t been revealed. 

Under the almost coupé-like body, the Cybercab most likely uses the platform that would have underpinned the £25k Tesla Model 2 that was scrapped in favour of autonomous vehicles.

Inductive charging is set to be a standout technological feature of the Cybercab. Musk said “it was high time” Tesla introduced this technology to its cars, and it means the Cybercab won’t come with a socket to charge up. Instead it will drive onto a charging pad and recharge wirelessly. 

There was no charging port or flap visible on the prototype we got to have a look around, so we don’t expect the Cybercab to be able to make use of Tesla’s Supercharger network.

What is the law on self-driving cars in the UK?

Full self-driving cars got a boost in 2024 when the UK government passed the Automated Vehicles Act. This essentially enables the introduction of fully autonomous vehicles to UK roads, provided they “achieve a level of safety at least as high as careful and competent human drivers”.

Then last year, the government decided to fast-track programmes for the first taxi, private-hire and bus-like self-driving vehicles that allowed them to hit the road from spring 2026. 

The lack of a steering wheel in the Tesla Cybercab could be a bit of a problem here in the UK, because the Automated Vehicles Act requires a person to give inputs to the car on occasion.

What is the exterior and interior design like?

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Tesla is known for its minimalist interiors, but the Cybercab takes things to a whole new level. As we mentioned, there’s no steering wheel or pedals, just a 20.5-inch screen for controlling the car’s functions, two seats, two cup-holders and an armrest. The all-black colour scheme is in stark contrast to the lighter, more airy design of the Verne robotaxi’s interior. 

At the back is a large boot with a hatchback-like tailgate. Tesla hasn’t provided an exact luggage capacity yet, but says the boot will be big enough for two carry-on suitcases and another two pieces of hand luggage. We’re also told you can fit a bicycle in the boot.

The exterior of the Cybercab is also pretty minimalistic, with smooth, simple surfacing, full-width lightbars at the front and rear, plus no back window or side mirrors. The Tesla also has a set of butterfly-style doors, and instead of a traditional alloy wheel design, it has blanked-off wheel discs with larger rims at the rear than at the front. However, it’s not clear how many of these features on the prototype will make it to the production car.

What will the Tesla Cybercab’s price be?

During the reveal of the car at Tesla’s ‘We, Robot’ event in California in 2024, CEO Elon Musk said “we expect it to be around $30,000”. That would make the Cybercab roughly £23,000 in the UK, although, as we’ve said, there are no firm plans to bring the Cybercab over here. 

However, that’s not surprising, because Musk himself admitted during the same event that he tends to be “a little optimistic with timeframes,” and so far has only said that the Cybercar is expected to enter production “before 2027”. 

In those locations where the Cybercab does launch, we’re told the car will be accessible to anyone via the Tesla app, and will be yours for as long as you need it – even a whole day if necessary. 

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