Tesla May Be Getting Ready to Launch Cybercabs in Houston

Tesla might be getting ready to bring the Cybercab to a second city. A growing number of the steering wheel-less robotaxis have been showing up at Tesla’s Robotaxi lot in Houston over the past few weeks, and the latest drone footage puts the count close to 200.

Longtime Tesla watcher @SERobinsonJr shared the footage on X, calling it an “extremely busy day at the lot.” He estimates there are roughly 190-200 Cybercabs currently in Houston, with the bulk visible in his video, around 15 charging, and some parked inside Tesla’s Hempstead Center.

Nearly 200 Cybercabs Waiting in Houston

The flyover shows long rows of gold Cybercabs filling most of the lot, with red and white Model Y robotaxis lined up along the edges. Several Cybercabs can also be seen pulling out of the lot and driving on nearby public roads, which fits Robinson’s note that testing is ongoing.

Houston is one of seven U.S. markets where Tesla offers Robotaxi service, but Cybercab rides are only available in Austin, Tesla’s headquarters and the birthplace of the Robotaxi network. Houston’s 25 sq. mile service area sits in the northwest part of the city along Highway 290 and already runs fully unsupervised Model Y rides.

Why Houston (or Miami) Could Be Next

Tesla recently added 111 Cybercabs to its Austin fleet, bringing the total there to 169 in just a couple of weeks. With Austin’s fleet in good shape, Tesla may be ready to look at other markets. Houston makes sense, since it’s close to Austin and already offers unsupervised rides. Locals have also been documenting more and more Cybercabs coming into the city for weeks now.

Miami is the other likely candidate. Residents have been tracking a large Cybercab nest near Miami International Airport for the past couple of months, right next to the city’s Robotaxi service area.

Production is ramping up too. Tesla built its first Cybercab with in-house battery materials at Gigafactory Texas last month.

What a Houston Cybercab Launch Might Look Like

In Austin, Tesla started Cybercab rides for employees at Giga Texas before opening them to the public. A second city likely won't follow that pattern, and could start with public rides and a small number of Cybercabs instead.

Tesla also recently made the Robotaxi app available in many more countries, mainly for tourists visiting active U.S. markets.

Tesla hasn’t announced Cybercab plans for Houston yet, but with close to 200 already on the ground there, the vehicles are in place for whenever it decides to launch.