This is a preview from our weekly newsletter. Each week I go ‘Beyond the News’ and handcraft a special edition that includes my thoughts on the biggest stories, why it matters, and how it could impact the future.
Tesla has tapped a new type of automotive glass from supplier AGP for the Plaid Model S, invoking the thought that everything, even the finest details of the vehicle, was considered a possible improvement for the company’s rebirth of the all-electric, flagship sedan.
Many months ago, Teslarati stumbled across a list of Tesla’s suppliers through international connections. These suppliers were shipping massive volumes of whatever product they were giving to Tesla on cargo ships, and we noticed that there was a company called AGP that was shipping windshields and other automotive glasses to the company’s Fremont Factory.
It turns out that AGP has been providing Tesla with automotive glass for several years. Back in 2016, AGP provided glass for the Model X’s panoramic roof and windshields. However, Tesla utilized AGC Automotive’s windshields for its cars, according to Investopedia.
AGP is a Peru-based company that specializes in all types of automotive glass, but what they’ve done for Tesla is especially interesting. The company has been in business for 50 years, but just like everything else, it changes, and the automotive industry is no different. As electric vehicles have become more mainstream, technologies surrounding the development of these new, sustainable automobiles are popping up left and right. AGP’s eGlass for electric and autonomous vehicles is no different.
Now, AGP says on its website that it collaborates “closely with the companies that are leading the new wave of the electric and autonomous vehicles of tomorrow.” When I first stumbled across AGP many months ago on the cargo ship list for Tesla, there was no indication that there was an official partnership, so I looked into it a tad further. I reached out to AGP and received a response that thanked me for my inquiry but refused to confirm or deny whether it was in any sort of professional relationship with Tesla. Ironically, AGP gave the answer we needed, because responding to me was all I needed to know.
Many may ask, “What’s the significance of what glass Tesla is using on its cars?” There are plenty of automotive glass suppliers out there that are worth their weight in gold, providing high-quality windshields and windows for vehicles on the road. Of course, consumers are going to want something that is relatively high quality, because nothing is worse than driving behind a tractor-trailer on the Interstate, just to have a chip or small crack on your windshield from something as tiny as a pebble. While strength is undoubtedly a need for all windshields, EVs require a slightly different bit of development.
One of the biggest focuses for EVs is their drag coefficient. Why is it so important? Because aerodynamics are crucial to the performance, range, and effectiveness of electric vehicles. As high-quality, long-range batteries are hard to come by in the EV sector, manufacturers look for every advantage they can get to achieve robust range ratings. While Tesla is the leader in EV range figures, the company is still looking for ways to get all of its vehicles to or near the 400-mile threshold.
Aerodynamics are a great way to do that. And Tesla undoubtedly worked extremely hard to achieve the best-in-class drag coefficient of .208, beating out the Lucid Air’s impressive .21 coefficient.
We knew aerodynamics was going to be a big part of the Plaid Model S when it was spotted at the Nürburgring two years ago. The vehicle was sporting a large spoiler, a huge rear diffuser, and the new eGlass from AGP is just another addition to Tesla’s attempts to make the Plaid Model S the most aerodynamic vehicle in its lineup.
A blue Tesla Model S Plaid unit with new aeros attacks the Nurburgring. (Photo: Stefan Baldauf/Auto Motor Uund Sport)
We finally confirmed that AGP was providing the highly aerodynamic and EV-specific automotive glass to the Model S Plaid thanks to Tesla Raj, who took a picture of the manufacturer’s sticker on the window of the all-electric sedan at Tesla’s Delivery Event on June 10th. This all confirmed Teslarati’s discovery of AGP in its supplier list several months ago and also confirmed that the two companies had a partnership, despite AGP’s unwillingness to provide a comment (which we understood why!)
New window manufacturer? pic.twitter.com/m4gjhkl7kR
— Tesla Raj (@tesla_raj) June 11, 2021
It makes me think about what Elon Musk may have needed to work on for the final week of Plaid development. When he had announced that the event was going to be delayed a week due to “tweaks,” I wondered whether it was software or hardware. While it was likely a software fix that needed to be addressed, it could have been related to the drag coefficient, which Tesla proudly displayed at the Plaid Event on the 10th. Nevertheless, the vehicle has finally been released to pre-orderers, and the fastest production car that has ever run the 1/4-mile drag is here, and it’s taking down anything in its path.
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Tesla is lowering the monthly price of its Cybertruck Windshield Protection Plan from $35 to $25. The new rate will apply to the first payment on or after October 1, 2026. Tesla has told subscribers that all other benefits stay the same.
The plan covers unlimited repairs for chips and minor cracks on the front windshield. It also includes one full replacement every 12 months at no extra charge. Additional replacements in the same year carry a $100 deductible. Service is performed with Tesla glass and camera calibration, which matters because Autopilot and Full Self-Driving rely on those lenses behind the windshield.
Looks like Tesla is decreasing the Cybertruck windshield protection plan price from $35 to $25
Awesome https://t.co/MRlTU1XTbf pic.twitter.com/PWkMZt1H7G
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) August 28, 2026
There is no long-term contract. Coverage applies only to the front glass and does not include collision, vandalism, or weather damage.
The Cybertruck’s large, complex windshield has been more expensive to replace than glass on Tesla’s cars, which is why the pickup started at a higher subscription price. The $10 monthly cut reduces the annual cost from $420 to $300. Tesla has not publicly explained the change. The timing coincides with a year of claims data after the plan was extended to the Cybertruck.
Tesla sells several related protection products as monthly subscriptions through the Tesla app. The Windshield Protection Plan is also offered on other models. Model 3 and Model Y currently cost $16 a month. Those passenger-car rates are unchanged in the latest Cybertruck notice.
The Wheel and Tire Protection Plan covers road-hazard damage such as potholes, nails, and debris. Repairs are unlimited. Each wheel or tire replacement appointment has a $25 deductible. Pricing varies by model and whether the vehicle is a Performance version. Tesla is raising some of those rates on the same October 1 date.
Reported examples include Model 3 Performance moving from $16 to $24 and Model Y Performance from $20 to $24. Cybertruck wheel-and-tire coverage has been listed at $20 a month for the standard configuration.
A separate Luxe Package bundles four years of windshield coverage, wheel-and-tire coverage, and recommended maintenance on certain new Model S, Model X, and Cyberbeast orders, although the Model S and X are now defunct.
Tesla also offers an Extended Service Agreement after the basic vehicle warranty ends. That product covers many Tesla-manufactured parts rather than glass or tires. Together, the plans give owners a menu of targeted, cancel-anytime coverage instead of relying only on auto insurance.
UPDATE: The number has now been updated to 45 units, up from 7!
Here we go! Tesla has just added another 38 Cybercabs to its Robotaxi fleet, bringing the total up to 45, according to the Texas DMV.
Robots on robots on robots! This Thursday’s launch event is gonna be awesome🤖🤖🤖 pic.twitter.com/3HF24rHK4T
— Sawyer Merritt (@SawyerMerritt) August 31, 2026
Tesla is bolstering its Cybercab fleet with the State of Texas’s regulatory bodies ahead of the planned launch of the all-electric ride-hailing vehicle this Thursday.
Seven purpose-built Tesla Cybercabs have been added to Texas’s official automated vehicle registry, appearing in the Texas Motor Carrier Credentialing System (TxMCCS) public lookup just three days before Tesla’s invite-only Cybercab launch event in Austin on September 3.
The records, visible through TxDMV’s Motor Carrier and Automated Motor Vehicle Operator Lookup, list seven 2026 Tesla Cybercabs under Tesla Robotaxi, LLC. Their VINs begin with the 5YJA prefix, distinct from the 7SAYG Model Y robotaxis that already dominate Tesla’s Texas fleet.
Community trackers that scrape the same public database recorded the new entries on August 31, bringing Tesla’s authorized Texas robotaxi total to 276 vehicles: 269 Model Ys and the seven Cybercabs:
🚨 There are now SEVEN Tesla Cybercabs registered with the state of Texas
We are just three days from Cybercab! pic.twitter.com/ndwhuFYsep
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) August 31, 2026
Texas Senate Bill 2807, which took effect in late May 2026, created a self-certification framework for commercial Level 4 operations. Operators file through TxMCCS, attest to SAE Level 4 capability, maintain insurance, and keep an active vehicle list.
Tesla completed that process months earlier for its existing Model Y Robotaxi service, which has carried paying passengers in Austin, Dallas, Houston and other markets. Adding the Cybercabs to the same authorization means the new two-seat, steering-wheel-free vehicles are now legally recognized for commercial use on Texas roads.
The timing is deliberate as Tesla scheduled the September 3 event at its Austin campus after sending invitations to selected Robotaxi riders and other guests. The company has described the evening as a chance to “experience the future of full autonomy” and plans to livestream it.
Production Cybercabs, which lack pedals and a steering wheel, have been rolling off the Giga Texas line for months; some earlier examples still carried temporary driver controls for data collection. Registering a small fleet of the finished design immediately before the public event signals that Tesla intends to move the purpose-built vehicle from factory and test tracks into the same Robotaxi app already used by Model Y passengers.
The seven units remain a tiny fraction of Tesla’s overall Texas authorization and far smaller than competing fleets. Registration does not automatically equal unsupervised public rides; it is the legal prerequisite.
Still, the sudden appearance of Cybercab VINs in the state’s lookup system, after a year of Model Y-only listings, is the clearest official confirmation yet that Tesla’s dedicated robotaxi hardware is entering the regulatory pipeline at the same moment the company is preparing to show it to invited guests and a global livestream audience.
Whether those seven vehicles appear at the September 3 event or begin carrying passengers shortly afterward, their presence in TxMCCS marks a concrete regulatory step that has been anticipated since the Cybercab concept was first revealed.
Tesla has expanded the operational geofence for its driverless Robotaxi service in Austin, Texas, marking the first such increase in some time. The updated Service Area for Robotaxi in Austin now spans about 288 square miles and is roughly 9 percent larger than the previous boundary.
This incremental growth adds approximately 24 square miles of coverage, bringing the prior zone of roughly 264 square miles into a broader footprint that better serves northern suburbs.
The expansion extends the geofence northward toward Pflugerville along the US 183 corridor, incorporating additional neighborhoods north of the Domain and areas such as Mesa Park. These additions include higher-end residential and commercial districts that previously sat just outside the allowed operating zone.
Riders can now request unsupervised trips that begin or end in these newly included locations, provided the entire route remains inside the digital boundary:
Tesla has just expanded its Robotaxi service area in Austin, Texas for the first time in 10 months.
The new service area is roughly 9% larger than the old one, and is about 288 square miles in total. pic.twitter.com/i4oBM1KfWS
— Sawyer Merritt (@SawyerMerritt) August 31, 2026
Tesla first launched public Robotaxi operations in Austin in mid-2025 with a modest initial zone of about 20 square miles. Subsequent enlargements in 2025 and early 2026 steadily grew the map until it covered much of the metropolitan area.
After the last major update roughly ten months earlier, the company held the boundary steady while it collected additional miles and refined the FSD suite.
The modest nine percent increase still matters for daily utility. Longer trips become possible, more residents gain access, and the fleet can accumulate more diverse real-world data across new road types and traffic patterns. Observers note that the added territory aligns with existing Tesla service infrastructure, which could support more efficient vehicle staging in the North end of Austin.
Although the geofence has grown, Tesla continues to operate a relatively small unsupervised fleet in the city. The company has emphasized safety and software readiness over rapid geographic scaling. This latest map update signals that Tesla remains committed to expanding Robotaxi availability in its home market as it prepares for further software improvements and potential Cybercab deployments.
The 288-square-mile zone now gives Austin riders one of the larger driverless service areas currently available in the United States.
Tesla Cybertruck windshield protection just got cheaper
Tesla Cybercab fleet grows in Austin ahead of launch event
