What changed on 28 May
Two connected milestones landed on the same day. Texas's new commercial autonomous-vehicle statute became enforceable on 28 May 2026, replacing the old test-permit regime with a self-certification framework: a manufacturer can declare a vehicle SAE Level 4 and operate it for revenue if it meets the statute's safety and insurance bar. Hours later, Elon Musk shared video on X showing gold-painted Cybercabs driving themselves out of Giga Texas — through the factory doors, across logistics lots, around corners and into active factory traffic — with no driver and no safety chase vehicle.
Taken together, the two events move the Cybercab programme from "under test" to "cleared for revenue rides" inside Texas.
Production has been ramping since February
The Cybercab production line at Giga Texas has been live longer than most observers realised. Tesla rolled the first production unit off the line on 17 February 2026, and volume production kicked off in April. By late May, roughly 60 Cybercabs had been spotted parked outside the Austin facility — consistent with a few-dozen-per-week run rate as Tesla validates the line.
The gold paint colour shown in the factory-exit video is a production rather than concept finish; multiple recent sightings have confirmed it as one of the launch colours.
Level 4 self-certification — and what it does not mean
Texas's new law allows a manufacturer to self-certify SAE Level 4 status, but only inside the state. The certification is not portable: no European member state, no other US state, and no federal authority is bound by it. The European FSD rollout that has reached the Netherlands, Lithuania, and now Estonia covers FSD (Supervised) — a Level 2 system that still requires a driver. The Cybercab Texas certification is a separate, stricter category, and Tesla has not filed equivalent paperwork for any market outside Texas.
Operationally, that means a Cybercab built in Austin for Texas duty cannot legally drive itself in Germany, the Netherlands, or even neighbouring New Mexico. Each jurisdiction will need its own certification or recognition path.
What Tesla has signalled comes next
Ashok Elluswamy, who runs Tesla's Autopilot and FSD software organisation, said commercial Robotaxi operations using Cybercabs could begin "very soon," with Austin as the debut market. Tesla has not published a specific date, fare structure, or initial fleet size, but the regulatory and manufacturing pieces are now both in place. The next event to watch is the first revenue ride.