Tesla targets late 2026 for initial Cybercab customer deliveries

Tesla executives announced during the company's third-quarter earnings call that they aim to deliver the first Cybercabs to outside customers before the end of 2026. Lars Moravy, Tesla's vice president of engineering, noted that the automaker is already producing the two-seater vehicles at its Texas Gigafactory for its own fleet and will begin with small customer deliveries. Chief executive Elon Musk emphasized that the vast majority of Cybercabs will remain internal company assets operated as a ride-hailing service rather than consumer-owned vehicles. [1][2][3]

The delivery target introduces immediate practical hurdles. Built entirely without steering wheels or brake pedals, the Cybercab relies solely on autonomous driving. However, Tesla director of AI Ashok Elluswamy stated that the company will not begin enabling Unsupervised Full Self-Driving on customer vehicles until roughly the second quarter of 2027. That creates a gap of several months during which buyers will possess vehicles that cannot be driven manually or legally operate autonomously under existing software releases. [1][2][3]

Regulatory scrutiny also looms over the rollout. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recently launched an investigation into Tesla's self-certification data for the vehicle under Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards, which still mandate traditional manual controls. The outcome of the federal probe could determine whether Tesla or third-party fleet operators can legally put the pedal-less cabs on public roads. [1][2]