Electrek Survey: Two-Thirds Doubt Tesla's Cybercab Promise — SkimNews
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- Electrek survey of nearly 2,700 readers found nearly two-thirds agreed with the statement: "It (Tesla's Cybercab) won't even be 'just another car,' if no one can drive it – and Tesla hasn't yet proven its AI can drive it."
- Cybercab was re-unveiled in Austin, Texas, where "a limited number of invitation-only Tesla influencers were allowed to have the car take them for a spin" with "varying degrees of success" — yet the pessimism in comments surprised Electrek's editor.
- NHTSA opened a safety investigation into the Cybercab the same week, while Tesla's own data confirmed Autopilot/FSD was active in a fatal motorcycle crash and a separate crash that killed a mother of five; Tesla also settled a fatal Autopilot-vs-fire-truck lawsuit before jury trial.
- Commenters repeatedly cited Elon Musk's prior promises that Tesla owners could "make money while they slept" by putting FSD-equipped EVs to work as Robotaxis — now questioning why owners can't deploy their own cars through Tesla's cab service.
- Electrek's editor flagged that the brand's "die-hard true-believer Tesla fans that usually fill up the comments section" were "nowhere to be found" in this thread.
- Optimistic minority of commenters, like user "DAVID M," predicted Cybercab could thrive in dense urban markets like Manhattan, SF, and DC by undercutting Uber and cab fares, but would have little impact in spread-out regions.
- Top commenter EVenFlow questioned the removal of steering and pedals for a privately owned vehicle — comparing the design to Zoox and Waymo's toaster-form factor — and demanded "lots" of safety data before buying in.
Why it matters: Tesla's most engaged fan base has gone silent on a marquee product right as the Cybercab faces an NHTSA probe and a string of fatal Autopilot-linked incidents — meaning the company is launching its autonomy pitch without the vocal grassroots defense that has historically insulated it from scrutiny.
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