The Tesla Cybercab has been spotted being tested around Giga Texas. This was hinted at in a short video that was recently shared in social media, which depicted the Cybercab reacting to traffic in the Giga Texas premises.
Earlier this month, the electric vehicle community’s interest was piqued when a video was shared on social media showing a Cybercab driving around Giga Texas. The video was quite exciting as it showed the self-driving robotaxi operating seemingly on its own.
Tesla Cybercab seen driving at Giga Texas!!!#robotaxi #cybercab #gigatexas #elonmusk
? ? @AdanGuajardo pic.twitter.com/DSwab7cHEE— Adan Guajardo (@AdanGuajardo) November 10, 2024
As per a recent post from longtime Giga Texas watcher Joe Tegtmeyer, Tesla has indeed been testing the Cybercab around the factory complex. The Tesla watcher noted that over the past couple of weeks, Tesla has been conducting Cybercab test drives along the length of the main Giga Texas building. Interestingly enough, Tesla reportedly uses a modified gaming joystick to control the Cybercab when interventions are needed.
Cybercab News from Giga Texas!@Tesla has been testing & driving the Cybercab around the factory site over the past couple of weeks, including drive tests on the west side along the length of the main factory as shown in this short video clip.
Additional testing has also been… pic.twitter.com/4S7hyGcIwx— Joe Tegtmeyer ? ??? (@JoeTegtmeyer) November 26, 2024
Tesla is reportedly also conducting additional tests on the Cybercab, such as water ingress tests through a rainmaker inside the west end-of-line facility and in a few other areas around the Giga Texas complex. Perhaps more importantly, the drone operator observed that a rather large amount of production equipment has been gathering in the Giga Texas staging lot, suggesting that a new production line may soon be set up in the facility.
The Cybercab is one of Tesla’s most exciting products today, partly due to the fact that it is a self-driving robotaxi that is built for autonomy. And considering that CEO Elon Musk has stated that self-driving will ultimately be Tesla’s ace in the transportation sector, the Cybercab could very well go down in history as the electric car maker’s most important vehicle.
Cybercab testing at Giga Texas this morning … there is a chase black Model 3 following it along as it drives around the north & east sides of the factory today, continuing its drive testing! pic.twitter.com/QJRWWGjWLE— Joe Tegtmeyer ? ??? (@JoeTegtmeyer) November 27, 2024
During the Q3 2024 earnings call, Musk noted that Tesla is expecting to see volume production of the Cybercab in 2026, but if production equipment is now being delivered to Giga Texas, then perhaps initial production for the robotaxi can be attained in 2025. Musk also noted that Tesla will likely produce at least 2 million Cybercabs per year.
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Tesla has launched a new Model Y configuration in the “Premium” trim, and it comes with three highly requested features that have launched in markets outside of the U.S. and in other trims.
Tesla announced on Monday night that it has officially launched the Model Y Premium in a seven-seat configuration, which also comes standard with a 16″ touchscreen and black headliner, both of which are featured in the Model Y Performance trim.
The seven-seat configuration is highly requested by consumers and helps fill out the more spacious SUV offering that the lineup has missed outside of the Model X, which prices out many consumers. This new upgrade only costs $2,500 extra for all three features, bringing the cash price to $48,990.
This also comes with the larger 16” touchscreen! pic.twitter.com/aiAxWUTKZa
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) January 13, 2026
The move to add the seven-seat configuration with the black headliner and additional screen size is a welcome addition, as many Tesla fans have asked the company to come out with an SUV with more seating capacity. Although it is not a full-size SUV, the additional seating will certainly attract some buyers with bigger families.
It appears the third row is slightly more spacious than the past iteration of the seven-seat Model Y, which was available in the previous design pre-Juniper:
Credit: Tesla
However, it definitely still appears to be pretty cramped in terms of legroom. It will definitely be a seating arrangement for smaller passengers, mostly reserved for children.
The other two upgrades are the black headliner, which was launched in other markets and in the Model Y Performance. Many owners have wanted this change, and Tesla listened, but is only offering it with the seven-seat configuration. It also has a larger 16″ touchscreen, also present in the Model Y Performance exclusively:
Credit: Tesla
It is a nice touch to add these highly requested features to the all-electric crossover, which was the best-selling vehicle in the world for the third consecutive year.
Tesla has expanded its branded ‘For Business’ Supercharger program that it launched last year, as yet another company is using the platform to attract EV owners to its business and utilize a unique advertising opportunity.
Francis Energy of Oklahoma is launching four Superchargers in Norman, where the University of Oklahoma is located. The Superchargers, which are fitted with branding for Francis Energy, will officially open tomorrow.
It will not be the final Supercharger location that Francis Energy plans to open, the company confirmed to EVWire.
Back in early September, Tesla launched the new “Supercharger for Business” program in an effort to give businesses the ability to offer EV charging at custom rates. It would give their businesses visibility and would also cater to employees or customers.
“Purchase and install Superchargers at your business,” Tesla wrote on a page on its website for the new program. “Superchargers are compatible with all electric vehicles, bringing EV drivers to your business by offering convenient, reliable charging.”
The first site opened in Land O’ Lakes, Florida, which is Northeast of Tampa, as a company called Suncoast launched the Superchargers for local EV owners.
Tesla launches its new branded Supercharger for Business with first active station
The program also does a great job at expanding infrastructure for EV owners, which is something that needs to be done to encourage more people to purchase Teslas and other electric cars.
Francis Energy operates at least 14 EV charging locations in Oklahoma, spanning from Durant to Oklahoma City and nearly everywhere in between. Filings from the company, listed by Supercharge.info, show the company’s plans to convert some of them to Tesla Superchargers, potentially utilizing the new Supercharger for Business program to advertise.
Moving forward, more companies will likely utilize Tesla’s Supercharger for Business program as it presents major advantages in a variety of ways, especially with advertising and creating a place for EV drivers to gain range in their cars.
Tesla Cybercab is perhaps the most highly-anticipated project that the company plans to roll out this year, and as it is undergoing its testing phase in pre-production currently, there are some things to work through with it.
Over the weekend, an image of the Cybercab being loaded onto a tow truck started circulating on the internet, and people began to speculate as to what the issue could be.
Hmmmmmm… https://t.co/L5hWcOXQkb pic.twitter.com/OJBDyHNTMj
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) January 11, 2026
The Cybercab can clearly be seen with a Police Officer and perhaps the tow truck driver by its side, being loaded onto, or even potentially unloaded from, the truck.
However, it seems unlikely it was being offloaded, as its operation would get it to this point for testing to begin with.
It appears, at first glance, that it needs assistance getting back to wherever it came from; likely Gigafactory Texas or potentially a Bay Area facility.
The Cybercab was also spotted in Buffalo, New York, last week, potentially undergoing cold-weather testing, but it doesn’t appear that’s where this incident took place.
It is important to remember that the Cybercab is currently undergoing some rigorous testing scenarios, which include range tests and routine public road operation. These things help Tesla assess any potential issue the vehicle could run into after it starts routine production and heads to customers, or for the Robotaxi platform operation.
This is not a one-off issue, either. Tesla had some instances with the Semi where it was seen broken down on the side of a highway three years ago. The all-electric Semi has gone on to be successful in its early pilot program, as companies like Frito-Lay and PepsiCo. have had very positive remarks.
The Cybercab’s future is bright, and it is important to note that no vehicle model has ever gone its full life without a breakdown. It happens, it’s a car.
Nevertheless, it is important to note that there has been no official word on what happened with this particular Cybercab unit, but it is crucial to remember that this is the pre-production testing phase, and these things are more constructive than anything.
Tesla Model Y gets fresh configuration with three highly requested features
Tesla expands its branded ‘For Business’ Superchargers
