Tesla Cybercab Event Thursday: No Steering Wheel, 200+ Unsupervised Vehicles
Key Points
- Tesla has 200+ unsupervised Cybercab vehicles registered in the U.S., operating in cities including Austin, Dallas, Houston, Miami, Orlando and Tampa.
- CEO Elon Musk posted "A storm of Cybercabs" on Wednesday ahead of Thursday's scheduled event in Austin, Texas.
- Google's Waymo operates 4,000 driverless vehicles across 14 U.S. cities, holding a significant early lead over Tesla's robotaxi operations.
Unsupervised Tesla vehicles have logged trips in Austin, Dallas, Houston, Miami, Orlando and Tampa, Florida, according to tracking data. The company also operates a chartered car service in the San Francisco area called the FSD (Supervised) Rideshare service, using newer Model Y vehicles driven by Tesla employees who utilize an unreleased version of the company's FSD (Supervised) system. Passengers hail these vehicles through the Tesla Robotaxi-branded app.
Tesla faces stiff competition from Google's Waymo, which operates a commercial robotaxi service in 14 U.S. cities with approximately 4,000 driverless vehicles on U.S. roads and is testing in additional markets. Morgan Stanley analysts said in a note ahead of Thursday's event that if the announcement "includes a meaningful rollout of unsupervised" vehicles, they expect Tesla's stock to "regain momentum." Tesla shares have fallen 21 percent this year as of Wednesday's close. Morgan Stanley has a $400 price target on Tesla stock with the equivalent of a hold rating.
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Musk has told fans and investors since at least 2016 that a Tesla vehicle capable of driving itself across the country without human intervention was near. Currently, Tesla sells cars with a system called Full Self-Driving (Supervised), which requires a human driver to remain at the wheel ready to steer or brake at any time. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is investigating Tesla in at least two ongoing probes concerning possible safety defects with its partially automated driving systems.
Thursday's event will reveal whether Tesla can accelerate its robotaxi deployment to challenge Waymo's substantial operational advantage. The timing is critical for Tesla's stock momentum heading into year-end, as Morgan Stanley indicated that continued growth in the unsupervised fleet is essential for outperformance.
Related coverage: Google Launches Gemini 3.8 Flash After Longest Losing Streak in Decade
What This Means
Tesla's Thursday Cybercab reveal will likely determine investor sentiment through year-end. If the event includes substantial unsupervised vehicle rollout details, stock momentum could recover. However, Waymo's 4,000-vehicle operational fleet and 14-city presence represent a significant execution gap Tesla must close. NHTSA safety investigations and public criticism over crash report redactions create regulatory headwinds Tesla must address alongside proving safety at scale.
Sources: CNBC and other international news outlets.
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