Tesla Targets Limited Cybercab Deliveries as NHTSA Sets Oct. 30 Deadline

Tesla wants to begin limited Cybercab customer deliveries before 2027, as U.S. regulators await sworn details on the vehicle’s safety certification.

Lars Moravy, Tesla’s vice president of manufacturing, gave the year-end target during the company’s Oct. 21 earnings call. “In short, we are trying to get Cybercabs to customers by the end of this year, 2026,” he said. Moravy described an initial delivery to a small number of customers while Tesla learns about delivery, ownership and managing autonomous-vehicle fleets. The call did not give a delivery count or price.

Cybercabs leaving Tesla’s Texas factory are currently being assigned to its Robotaxi fleet. Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk said most would stay under company ownership and provide transportation as a service. That puts the customer-delivery goal alongside a fleet that is expected to remain largely Tesla-owned.

Cybercab rides began in Austin on Sept. 3. Tesla’s year-end Cybercab delivery plan is unfolding during the federal safety review.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) opened Audit Query AQ26002 on Sept. 3 to examine the process and technical information Tesla used to certify the Cybercab under federal motor vehicle safety standards. The agency estimates a vehicle population of 1,000. The Cybercab lacks fixed manual controls, including a steering wheel and pedals.

The audit examines Tesla’s self-certification, including whether the company treated some safety standards as inapplicable to an automated vehicle. In the United States, automakers certify that their vehicles meet applicable federal safety standards, with NHTSA providing oversight. The inquiry has not produced a public determination that the Cybercab violates those requirements.

NHTSA ordered Tesla to submit sworn answers, initially due Sept. 30. The agency granted an additional 30 days, making Oct. 30 the response deadline.