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Rivian to hold public open-house event near Normal, IL production plant
Electric automaker Rivian has announced that they will host a “pop-up” event in Normal, Illinois, a town about two hours southwest of Chicago on Sunday, October 13. The event will act like an open-house, where members of the public will get a chance to talk with employees of the Rivian plant in Normal, IL.
Rivian has hosted three reservation holder events in the past, one most recently in Seattle, Washington, one in Atlanta, Georgia in mid-September, and another in Manhattan, New York in April. A future event will be held in San Francisco, California, on a date that is yet to be determined.
The pop-up event will take place from 1-4 PM and will take place in Uptown Square in Normal in a temporary storefront, according to an NBC affiliate in Peoria, Illinois. Pictures of the plant, as well as briefings on company history, will be available for visitors to view.
Rivian’s past events have only been accessible by reservation holders for its first two vehicles, the R1T pickup and the R1S SUV. Pictures and videos of each event are available online in the days following, but the only way to gain access without being a reservation holder is to be a guest with someone who is. The events are not available to the public, making this new pop-up event in Central Illinois the first of its kind.
Rivian caught the eyes of the electric vehicle community when it debuted a new blue color for its R1T pickup truck at the last reservation event in Seattle. CEO RJ Scaringe said in an interview at the Seattle event with Kim of Like Tesla that vehicles that are geared toward multi-terrain driving are usually inefficient, but Rivian’s goal was to create a car that was great in any scenario. The R1T matches that description, as it is great both on-road and off-road, and it is extremely efficient, sporting a 750 horsepower quad-motor system, with three feet of wading depth and 400+ miles of range.
Rivian has made headlines most recently for its partnership with Amazon when CEO Jeff Bezos said that they would utilize 100,000 Rivian vans in order to fulfill deliveries starting in 2021. The Bezos-headed Amazon has already invested $700M into Rivian.
Pop-up events are a great idea from Rivian, as it will allow anyone who is interested in learning more about the industry to learn about one of the up-and-comers in electric vehicles. Those who are not familiar with the Plymouth, Michigan-based Rivian will have the opportunity to learn more about the company and its vehicles that will begin rolling onto driveways in late 2020.
Tesla has quietly opened a public interest form for companies that want to buy fleets of its purpose-built Cybercab robotaxis, marking the first official channel for commercial purchases of the two-seat autonomous vehicle. The form went live on September 3, the same day Tesla hosted an invite-only Cybercab launch event in Austin, Texas.
Tesla titled the page “Help Us Build Our Robotaxi Network.” Applicants provide name, email, phone number, company name, and deployment region. They then select one or more categories: Cybercab fleet vehicle purchasing, mobility hubs and infrastructure, event collaboration, or other. Tesla says a representative will follow up with those who express commercial interest.
Tesla has introduced a new form that you can fill out if you are interested in purchasing a fleet of Cybercabs:
Form: https://t.co/Ut0yoiEyXD pic.twitter.com/uuaCXmksIO
— Sawyer Merritt (@SawyerMerritt) September 3, 2026
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Until now, the company had no public ordering path for the vehicle, which was first shown as a concept at the October 2024 “We, Robot” event.
The Cybercab is designed from the ground up for unsupervised operation. It has no steering wheel and no pedals.
Regulatory filings list a 48-kilowatt-hour battery, a single 219-horsepower front motor, a curb weight of 3,113 pounds, and an EPA-adjusted range near 290 to 300 miles. Tesla has already registered dozens of the vehicles with Texas authorities and has been testing them on public streets around Austin.
Tesla Cybercab sightings broaden well outside of Austin with autonomy in focus
The company’s existing Robotaxi service, which currently uses modified Model Y vehicles in parts of Texas and Florida, is expected to add Cybercabs as production ramps up at Gigafactory Texas.
The form signals that Tesla is preparing to treat the Cybercab as more than an in-house fleet asset. Investors and operators have discussed buying groups of the vehicles and placing them on Tesla’s ride-hailing network, with Tesla taking a platform fee. High-profile figures have publicly stated plans to acquire fleets if Tesla allows third-party ownership.
The new page gives those parties a direct way to register interest rather than waiting for a conventional configurator.
Whether the form leads quickly to firm purchase agreements remains unclear. Regulatory approval for widespread unsupervised operation still varies by state, and Tesla has not published pricing or delivery timelines for fleet customers. The company has previously discussed a target price near $25,000 to $30,000 per vehicle.
For now, the form is an early signal that Tesla wants partners to help scale the network rather than operate every Cybercab itself.
Pairing the launch of the Cybercab fleet form with the Austin event is no coincidence. Tesla is inviting businesses to participate in the next phase of its Robotaxi plan at the moment the production vehicle first appears in public.
Tesla has updated its Robotaxi app so riders can pick which vehicle they want before they book. The latest in-app screens now show two options side by side: the two-seat Cybercab and the four-seat Model Y.
A screenshot circulating Thursday shows the change in practice. In Austin, a rider could choose a gold Cybercab for two people or a Model Y for four. Tesla’s updated description calls Cybercab “our first purpose-built autonomous vehicle,” designed for safety, accessibility, and comfort, and says the lineup is available only through the Robotaxi app.
Tesla has updated their Robotaxi page in the App Store. You’ll be able to select if you want a Cybercab or Model Y Robotaxi.
“Our Robotaxi vehicle lineup now includes Cybercab, our first purpose-built autonomous vehicle. Designed for safety, accessibility and comfort, Cybercab… pic.twitter.com/Jff4klilDr
— Sawyer Merritt (@SawyerMerritt) September 3, 2026
The distinction is more than cosmetic, and it’s important to note that Robotaxi refers to the platform, while Cybercab refers to a vehicle.
Model Y Robotaxis have carried the service since it opened in Austin in mid-2025 and later expanded to Dallas, Houston, and parts of Florida. Those vehicles are converted production SUVs that still have steering wheels and pedals.
Cybercab is different. It has no driver controls, butterfly doors, a low seat height meant to work with wheelchairs, extra trunk space for assistive devices, and braille on the handles. Tesla has registered dozens of the two-seaters with Texas regulators in the days leading up to its September 3 Austin event.
Giving riders a choice lets Tesla match the vehicle to the trip. Most rides involve one or two people, which is where Cybercab is meant to be cheaper and more efficient to operate. Groups of three or four, or anyone who needs more space, can still request a Model Y.
The same app handles booking, payment, cabin settings, and, on Cybercab, features such as phone-based door opening and in-cabin voice controls.
The update does not mean every city suddenly has both cars available. Cybercab support is listed for Austin first, and the purpose-built fleet is still small compared with the existing Model Y roster. Even so, the app change marks a shift from a single-vehicle pilot to a mixed fleet.
Riders can now choose between the compact, purpose-built robotaxi and the familiar SUV that launched the service.
Tesla Cybercab sightings are broadening far and wide, well outside of downtown Austin, Texas, with autonomy in focus as the company plans to launch the all-electric, two-seater this evening in the Lone Star State.
Tesla is set to launch Cybercab to a small group of people this evening in a dedicated event in Austin, Texas. Public details on the event are relatively slim.
However, Tesla’s focus on Cybercab falls well outside of the downtown Austin area and is expanding well across the United States as things continue to move quickly with the company’s autonomous efforts in 2026. Today, various images of Cybercab fleets in interesting locations have started to circulate.
The most notable is a fleet of at least 20 Cybercabs at Miami International Airport in Florida. Spotted last night, the fleet is expansive and is indicative of a looming release of Cybercabs once regulatory boxes are checked off.
Tesla has already been operating the Robotaxi platform in Miami for several months, but this Cybercab fleet at the airport could be joining the ride-hailing platform as approvals arrive:
20+ Cybercabs spotted near Miami international airport. pic.twitter.com/ORLsw8yFhf
— Sawyer Merritt (@SawyerMerritt) September 3, 2026
Another fleet of Cybercabs was spotted at the Devon, PA showroom just outside of Philadelphia. We have seen several Cybercab units testing around the Philadelphia Metro Area, which is interesting considering Tesla does not have any active Robotaxi geofence in Pennsylvania.
Cybercab at the Devon location in PA has multiplied over the weekend. Seeing a few more test vehicles in the lot 👀 pic.twitter.com/DhJT4P1EkU
— Billy (@billykyle) August 22, 2026
Philadelphia would be an ideal location to test ride-hailing due to its dense tourist population, large, sprawling city layout, and to compete with other ride-hailing companies that operate in the city.
Expansive fleets of Cybercabs will be popping up in and around major cities throughout the rest of the year, if we were betting on it. Tesla has made it obvious that the Cybercab rollout will be aggressive and fast-paced, but within reason. Tesla is still prioritizing safety, so these testing phases will likely go on for some period of time before more members of the public are able to snag a Cybercab for a personal chariot.
Tesla hints its already prepping for Cybercab fleet orders
Tesla Robotaxi riders will face the best dilemma when booking a ride
