A fleet of over 30 Tesla Cybercabs was spotted on the move today at Giga Texas, being loaded onto transport trucks and staged at a nearby crash testing facility. Long-time factory observer Joe Tegtmeyer captured the activity, which provides a rare look at how Tesla is preparing for its official April 2026 production launch.
In a detail that has sparked significant debate online, several of the Cybercabs seen being loaded onto trailers appear to be equipped with steering wheels and pedals. Tegtmeyer’s footage shows Tesla employees physically entering the vehicles and backing them onto the transport trucks—a clear sign that these specific units are “Engineering RCs” (Release Candidates) designed for manual control during the validation phase.
While the production version of the Cybercab is famously designed with no steering wheel or pedals, Tesla’s VP of Vehicle Engineering, Lars Moravy, previously confirmed that the company uses these modified versions to “figure out a way to test” the platform before it goes fully autonomous. These units are likely being shipped to various cities across North America to gather localized data and finalize safety certifications.
The presence of nearly a dozen units at a crash testing site suggests that Tesla is in the final stages of structural validation. For the Cybercab to operate as a steering-wheel-less robotaxi, it must meet strict regulatory standards, and this high-volume testing indicates the company is racing to meet its spring deadlines.
Elon Musk has repeatedly doubled down on the April 2026 start date for volume production. While the first “steering-wheel-less” production unit officially rolled off the line in mid-February, Musk has warned that the initial ramp will follow a slow “S-curve” as Tesla refines its new “unboxed” manufacturing process.
