Credit: Tesla Just days after we were passing our last respects to the Cybertruck, the Tesla Cybercab is finally available to order. Alas, like with the "flying Roadster", there's some important small print. The Cybercab will initially only be usable in the same locations where Tesla's Robotaxi ride-hailing service operates, which means it will be geofenced to specific parts of Texas and Florida. Even then, to use it at all, customers will have to pay a hefty monthly subscription fee on top of the upfront cost. Cancel the subscription, and you've got an expensive decoration sitting in your driveway. If you thought Adobe's subscription model was bad, at least there's the Creative Cloud Black Friday sale. Credit: Tesla Cybercab sales aren't opening to the public at large. Like with the flight-mode Roadster, you'll need a personal invite from Tesla. Nevertheless, the company says it expects to make the first deliveries in Austin, Texas, as soon as December. Those who get an invite will have to pay $29,990 for the car itself. If they want the vehicle to actually drive, they'll have to also commit to a Tesla Autonomy Subscription at $299 per month. People generally don't like subscriptions. Companies do since recurring payments usually provide higher margins and more stable long-term revenue than a one-off sale. People willingly accept that approach for phone data, streaming services and software, but it stings a but more when it comes with a physical product that also has an up-front cost. Other carmakers have been roasted for this. BMW wanted people to pay $18 a month for heated seats. Mercedes-EQ decided to cap performance and ransom it back to customers in the form of an Acceleration Increase costing $100 a month. Other cash graps have included paywalled key fobs and garage door opening. Admittedly, the Tesla Cybercab is different beast. You could argue that its autonomous driving capability is the real product and that the vehicle is just the shell for it. That service entails plenty of real ongoing costs for cloud infrastructure, remote monitoring systems, maps and safety updates. The controversial part is that the vehicle's usability will depend on the Autonomy Subscription because it has no manual controls. Cancelling won't downgrade it to a normal car – it makes it unusable. It's a piece of hardware whose usability depends entirely on an ongoing software service controlled by Tesla. For comparison, an extra $10,000 would get you a Tesla Model Y with manual controls and an optional full-self driving (FSD) subscription at $100 per month. Even Tesla CEO Elon Musk thinks the Cybercab monthly fee that his company is quoting is "too high". Writing on X in response to a post by YouTuber Marques Brownlee, he suggested that it "should match the cost of Tesla FSD and connectivity for other models, which is more like ~$115/month." That might give Cybercab customers hope that the price will come down in the future. But it could also go up. The Tesla Autonomy Subscription Agreement states that the company reserves the right to adjust the monthly fee with just a month's notice. If it hikes the cost beyond a price you're prepared to pay, you lose the use of your car. @MKBHD It will be available nationwide, as we receive regulatory approval. But the monthly fee is too high. Should match the cost of Tesla FSD and connectivity for other models, which is more like ~$115/month. — @elonmusk (November 14, 2026) The agreement also allows Tesla to retain a lot of control over the product you just bought. It can modify service areas, update operating conditions, and control access to autonomous operation remotely. At least initially, those buying the car for personal-use will not be allowed to put it to work on ride-hailing networks. The car also films you during the entire ride and will pull over if the camera detects that you're infringing Tesla's rules. These are unusual limitations compared with traditional car ownership, making it feel more like a temporary lease of a product whose branding Tesla hasn't yet managed to trademark.
Liked by Kaitlyn Nelson, Oliver Lavoie
Liked by Kaitlyn Nelson, Oliver Lavoie
Liked by Kaitlyn Nelson, Oliver Lavoie