Tesla’s ultimate goal with the Cybercab is to deliver an “individualized mass transit” vehicle. In extension, the Robovan enables Tesla to transport a larger group of people at a time.
The “We, Robot” event revealed that Tesla didn’t just design the Cybercab, Robovan, and Optimus because they were cool or for its bottom line. Tesla has a clear vision of the future, and it’s one where people have more time, more space, and less physical work.
Elon Musk didn’t outright say Tesla’s goals, but hinted at it throughout his brief appearance on stage.
“When we think of transportation today, there’s a lot of pain that we take for granted that we think is normal. Like having to drive around LA in three hours of traffic...With autonomy, you’ll get your time back,” Musk said, explaining the full utility of the Cybercab.
Musk once again depicted a world where autonomous vehicles like the Tesla Cybercabs could transport passengers while their owners aren’t using them.
“How many hours a week are cars used? Your average passenger car is only used about 10 hours a week out of 168 hours. So the vast majority of the time cars are just doing nothing. But if they’re autonomous, they could be used five times—ten times—more,” Musk explained.
The Tesla CEO went on to say that with autonomous vehicles constantly on the road and in use, there would be less demand for parking space. As a result, cities could use parking areas for parks or more useful facilities.
Individualized mass transit vehicles aren’t new to the world. In fact, some countries use smaller vehicles for transportation, like India’s tuk-tuk or the Philippines’ tricycle–which only travel short distances and specific areas. Tesla’s Cybercab is similar to a tuk-tuk because it only accommodates two people can travels short distances, and fits smaller roads. However, it is built for countries like the United States where “short trips” can stretch farther distances compared to countries like the Philippines.
Tesla’s “We, Robot” event was definitely one for the history books like Elon Musk predicted. While the Cybercab, Robovan, and even Optimus were definitely sights to see, it’s Tesla’s future goals that were the real show stopper.
If you have any tips, contact me at maria@teslarati.com or via X @Writer_0100110.
Elon Musk
Elon Musk reiterates Starship V3’s aggressive target launch date
Musk shared the update in a brief post on X, writing, “Starship flies again next month.”
Elon Musk has confirmed that Starship will fly again next month, reiterating SpaceX’s aggressive timeline for the first launch of its Starship V3 rocket.
Musk shared the update in a brief post on X, writing, “Starship flies again next month.” The CEO’s post was accompanied by a video of Starship’s Super Heavy booster being successfully caught by a launch tower in Starbase, Texas.
The timeline is notable. In late January, Musk stated that Starship’s next flight, Flight 12, was expected in about six weeks. This placed the expected mission date sometime in March. That estimate aligned with SpaceX’s earlier statement that Starship’s 12th flight test “remains targeted for the first quarter of 2026.”
If the vehicle does indeed fly next month, it would mark the debut of Starship V3, the upgraded platform expected to feature the rocket’s new Raptor V3 engines.
Raptor V3 is designed to deliver significantly higher thrust than earlier versions while reducing cost and weight. Starship V3 itself is expected to be optimized for manufacturability, a critical step if SpaceX intends to scale production toward frequent launches for Starlink, lunar missions, and eventually Mars.
Starship V3 is widely viewed as the version that transitions the program from experimental testing to true operational scaling. Previous iterations have completed multiple integrated flight tests, with mixed outcomes but steady progress. Expectations are high that SpaceX is now working on Starship’s refinement.
An aggressive launch schedule supports several priorities at once. It advances Starlink’s next-generation satellite deployment, supports NASA’s lunar ambitions under Artemis, and keeps SpaceX on track for its longer-term Moon and Mars objectives.
News
Tesla Model Y L six-seater approved for Australia ahead of launch
The variant was listed as YL5NDB on the Australian government’s ROVER approval website.
Tesla’s six-seat, extended-wheelbase Model Y L has been approved for sale in Australia, as per newly published government documents.
The variant, listed as YL5NDB on the Australian government’s ROVER approval website, has confirmed that Tesla has received regulatory clearance to offer the extended Model Y to domestic customers.
Documents seen by Drive show that the Model Y L has been approved in Australia in a single dual-motor, all-wheel-drive configuration. While Tesla has not formally announced a launch date, vehicles are typically approved for Australian sale several months before arriving in showrooms.
The Model Y L is a longer version of the regular Model Y, designed to accommodate a six-seat layout with two seats in each row. It measures 177mm longer overall than the regular Model Y, at 4969mm, and features a 150mm longer wheelbase at 3040mm.
Australian approval documents list the Model Y L with the same nickel-manganese-cobalt battery pack used in the regular Model Y Long Range, which is expected to have a gross capacity of about 84kWh and a usable capacity of about 82kWh. Output is officially listed at 378kW in government filings, though real-world peak output may differ.
The Model Y L replaces the regular Model Y’s second-row bench with two captain’s chairs featuring heating, ventilation, and power adjustment. Heated third-row seats are also included.
Additional upgrades reported by Drive include an 18-speaker sound system, new front seats with single-piece backrests, and continuously variable shock absorbers. The only wheel option listed for the Australian model is 19-inch wheels.
In Europe, where the Model Y L has also received approval but has not yet launched, the variant is expected to claim up to 681km of WLTP range.
Elon Musk
Elon Musk highlights one of Tesla FSD Supervised’s most underrated features
In his post on X, Musk wrote, “Tesla self-driving now recognizes hand signals.”
Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (Supervised) is able to recognize and respond to hand signals, as highlighted recently by CEO Elon Musk.
In his post on X, Musk wrote, “Tesla self-driving now recognizes hand signals.”
Musk shared the update in a quote reply to a video posted by Tesla Europe, which showed a vehicle operating with Full Self-Driving (Supervised) navigating a tight lane in the Netherlands while responding to hand gestures from a person directing traffic.
Hand signal recognition is an important capability for advanced driver-assistance and autonomous systems. In real-world driving, pedestrians, construction workers, parking attendants, and other drivers frequently use hand gestures to direct traffic, yield right of way, or indicate when it is safe to proceed. For a self-driving system operating in mixed environments, interpreting these non-verbal cues is critical.
Musk’s post comes as Tesla owners have surpassed 8 billion cumulative miles driven with FSD (Supervised) engaged. “Tesla owners have now driven >8 billion miles on FSD Supervised,” the company wrote in a post on X.
Annual FSD (Supervised) miles have increased sharply over the past five years. Roughly 6 million miles were logged in 2021, followed by 80 million in 2022, 670 million in 2023, 2.25 billion in 2024, and 4.25 billion in 2025.
In the first 50 days of 2026 alone, Tesla owners logged another 1 billion miles. At the current pace, the fleet is trending toward approximately 10 billion FSD (Supervised) miles this year.
Tesla’s latest North America safety data, covering all road types over a 12-month period, also indicates that vehicles operating with FSD (Supervised) were recorded one major collision every 5,300,676 miles. By comparison, the U.S. average during the same period was one major collision every 660,164 miles.
Elon Musk reiterates Starship V3’s aggressive target launch date
Tesla Model Y L six-seater approved for Australia ahead of launch
