You can always count on Elon Musk to keep things interesting with a little on-brand wordplay. Elon called Tesla’s upcoming purpose built Robotaxi the “Cybercab”
The remark came during Tesla’s Q1 2024 earnings call as Musk provided an update on the dedicated autonomous vehicle the company has been working on. “As previously announced, we will be showcasing our vehicle designed specifically for robotaxi, called ‘Cybercab’, in August.”
Was this just a random quip playing off Tesla’s existing “Cyber” branding for products like the Cybertruck, CyberBeer and CyberHammer? Or was Musk actually revealing the official name for its robotaxi aimed at powering a future rideshare fleet? It’s hard to say for sure with him, but “Cybercab” does have a nice ring to it as far as on-the-nose futuristic naming goes.
If it ends up sticking, the moniker would line up with previous details that have trickled out about the robotaxi’s radical design. Last year, Musk’s biographer Walter Isaacson shared that the autonomous EV will apparently share some serious sci-fi vibes with the angular Cybertruck. Isaacson recounted the time Musk proudly showed him a robotaxi model, saying “When one of these comes around a corner, people will think they’re seeing something from the future.”
So if this robotaxi does indeed look like a futuristic cousin to the brutalist Cybertruck, then “Cybercab” makes total sense as a name to match that aggressive styling. Plus, it fits nicely alongside other Tesla tchotchkes like the CyberBeer beer mugs and CyberHammer smelters that lean into that industrial-chic aesthetic.
Of course, flashy names and spaceship designs are one thing – actually delivering a fully autonomous rideshare service is another challenge entirely. But Musk seems confident that Tesla is making serious progress on that front too, boasting during the earnings call about a major update to its FSD V12, “12.4 is a major improvement and 12.5 is a whole other level” Elon says.
With an updated FSD system in the works and an eye-catching robotaxi unveiling potentially on the horizon, it certainly feels like we’re headed for an inflection point in Tesla’s autonomous ambitions this year. Now we just need to see if a real, road-ready “Cybercab” can actually manifest to give the mobility world that futuristic jolt Musk keeps promising.