Tesla is increasingly putting Cybercab prototypes onto public roads as testing activity accelerates.
Tesla appears to be stepping up development of its upcoming Cybercab, with prototypes now showing up more frequently both on public roads and around the company’s massive Gigafactory in Texas. A sudden surge in prototype activity usually signals one thing: the automaker is accelerating testing and validation before moving toward large-scale production.
The latest sightings come from drone enthusiast Joe Tegtmeyer, who regularly monitors activity around Tesla’s Texas facility. During one of his flights, he reportedly spotted 25 Cybercab vehicles across three different areas of the factory site.
According to his observations, 14 vehicles finished in a metallic gold color were parked closely together outside near the factory exit. Another nine prototypes were located in the crash-testing area, where Tesla evaluates structural integrity and safety performance. Meanwhile, two additional vehicles were seen on the western side of the complex near the final assembly and finishing area, apparently undergoing final inspection.
The activity on public roads is also notable. Back in October of last year, the Cybercab was first captured on video driving on regular streets near Tesla’s engineering headquarters in Los Altos, California. At that time, a safety driver was visible inside the vehicle, which is typical during the early phases of testing autonomous systems.
Since then, sightings have become more frequent. Users on the social platform X have posted multiple videos showing Cybercab prototypes traveling on roads across Silicon Valley. Based on those clips, development and real-world testing appear to be progressing steadily.
At the same time, production preparations at the Texas Gigafactory seem to be picking up speed. In early March, the Cybercab production line reportedly increased output capacity, and observers described the group of vehicles spotted that day as the largest single-day batch seen at the facility so far.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk recently explained the strategy behind the gradual ramp-up in a post on X. According to Musk, the Cybercab represents not just a new vehicle but a radical shift in automotive manufacturing, aimed at increasing efficiency by roughly five times.
Because of that, the production ramp will likely follow a typical “S-curve,” starting slowly before scaling rapidly. Musk also noted that many of the technologies used in both the Cybercab and Tesla’s Optimus humanoid robot are entirely new. As a result, early productivity will initially be “painfully low,” he said, before eventually becoming “astonishingly high” as manufacturing processes mature.