Tesla to begin Cybercab production in April, Musk claims

Tesla CEO Elon Musk announced that production of the Cybercab, a fully autonomous electric robotaxi without pedals, steering wheel, or side mirrors, will begin in April at Tesla’s Austin, Texas factory. The vehicle is designed specifically for unsupervised full self-driving and optimized for the lowest cost-per-mile in autonomous mode. Musk claimed the manufacturing process will be highly efficient, with a 10-second cycle time per vehicle, potentially enabling production of two to three million Cybercabs annually. This announcement followed a shareholder meeting where Musk was awarded a historic compensation package potentially worth $1 trillion in company shares. Despite Musk’s bold claims, Tesla has yet to demonstrate fully driverless operation at scale without a safety monitor, and his statements conflict with Tesla chairwoman Robyn Denholm’s recent remarks that the Cybercab would include steering controls as a backup. Tesla had initially planned versions with traditional controls but shifted to stripped-down models. Regulatory approval remains a significant hurdle, as vehicles lacking standard controls require federal exemptions to