A Look at the Best Tesla Robotaxi Design Concepts

By Karan Singh
DominicBRNKMN

Tesla’s Robotaxi event is rapidly coming up on 10/10, so let’s take a look at some of the cool concepts that we’ve seen.

We’ll start with what we know came from Tesla, and then we’ll let loose and take a look at what the community has come up with.

Tesla’s Concept Art & Previews

Not a Tesla App

The image above is Tesla’s official Robotaxi concept art – or well, as official as it gets. This is actually from Elon Musk’s biography, written by Walter Isaacson. We’re expecting a curvy two-seat vehicle – one that goes by the moniker of Cybercab.

Next up, we have this teaser image Tesla showed off in one of their videos on X. It’s unclear which part of the vehicle it is, but it seems like it could be either the front or rear aero spoiler – though we think it distinctly looks like the front.

Tesla

We’ve also got this interior shot of the Robotaxi that was shown off in an investor video back in May. Two wide, comfy seats, and one big screen in the center.

Dominic’s Cybercab Render

DominicBRNKMN

@DominicBRNKMN on X has once again outdone himself with this Cybercab concept he’s made – the butterfly swing doors look awesome, and it fits with the expected and distinct cyber styling we’ve already seen in Tesla’s previews.

The swing doors make it look easy to get in, and there seems to be plenty of space behind the seats for luggage. We’re a big fan of those wheels too – aero wheels are going to be an important component of the Cybercab – which will need to be efficient, cheap, and prevent debris from building up.

Sugar Design’s Render

Sugar Design

Sugar Design has made a few awesome renders (including of the Model Y Juniper) before – but let’s take a look at their older batch, and then their latest batch. Sugar Design’s concept render is based on the original image from Elon’s biography – and they’ve done an excellent job bringing it to life.

We think this may be pretty close to what the Robotaxi – Cybercab – will look like. It's got that distinct Cyber feeling to it and fits closely with what we expect the lines and curves to end up looking like.

You can check out the rest of Sugar Design’s renders on Instagram here – they do some fantastic work.

Teslaconomics Render

@Teslaconomics on X threw together a quick video render of what could be a falcon-wing Cybercab. If anything, it does feel a bit bigger than what we’re expecting – in fact, it looks like it’s Model X-sized. A cool-looking Cybercab like this would be awesome.

David’s Render

a
a
@dkrasniy

David – going by @dkrasniy on X, made some awesome-looking concept designs of the UI of the Robotaxi. We’re a really big fan of these– they integrate drop-off information on the right and provide the FSD preview on the left.

On top of that, it brings in a way to split your fair, preview your payment information, end the ride, and even a fancy little button to ask for help – powered by xAI’s Grok. Given the nods to Tesla’s design styles, David’s work here is pretty on the nose. We would be surprised if it doesn’t end up looking very similar to this.

Vitali Minin’s Concept Art

a
a
@VitaliMinin

Vitali Minin - @VitaliMinin on X, also did up a cute-looking concept of the Robotaxi – we thought it would be neat to show something that’s not necessarily a render, but still an interesting-looking concept that didn’t get much attention. It fits with the cyber-style that we’re coming to expect, but we also like the sloped and curved rear that strikes a sharp profile.

These concepts are a great look at what we can expect Tesla to show off in less than two months at their Robotaxi event on October 10th.

Ordering a New Tesla?

Consider using our referral code (karan29050) to get up to $2,000 off your new Tesla and get 3 Months of FSD for free.

Tesla Releases FSD V12.6.1 for Model 3 & Model Y

By Karan Singh
Not a Tesla App

Last night, Tesla released software update 2024.45.25.15, which includes FSD V12.6.1. This update adds support for all HW3 vehicles, including the Model 3 and Model Y. We’re excited to see the continued support for HW3 owners. 

FSD V12.6.1

V12.6.1 is now going wide, according to Ashok Elluswamy, Tesla’s VP of AI. This update is going to the Model 3 and Model Y for the first time - as only the Model S and Model X were included in FSD V12.6. 

V12.6 is a big step forward for HW3 - it includes End-to-End on Highway, Improved City Streets Behavior, and Smoother and More Accurate Tracking - all contributing towards a better, smoother, and more comfortable build of FSD. You can read our comparison between FSD V12.6 and V13.2.2 here

In short, FSD V12.6 performs considerably closer to V13 than V12.5.4.2 - which is a massive improvement. It performs as well as the Cybertruck version of FSD V13, which is still missing a few features when compared to other HW4 vehicles, but it’s a great sign for HW3. A lot of the improvements can be pointed to in the improvements to lane selection and decision-making - the vehicle tends to hesitate far less on V12.6, meaning the ride is a lot smoother. Many early V12.6 testers mentioned that it felt more like V13-mini than anything else.

Legacy Model S & X

We haven’t seen this update hit any legacy Model S and Model X vehicles just yet. We’re not sure whether Ashok’s statement of “generally” applies here - but it should. If you do get the update, please let us know.

Legacy Model S and Model X vehicles are still on an older FSD build and potentially won’t see another FSD update for a little while longer. While they do have the same FSD hardware as other vehicles, there are enough hardware differences that require a build specifically for these vehicles.

Release Date

Update 2024.45.25.15

FSD Supervised 12.6.1 & 13.2.4
Installed on 0.4% of fleet
2 Installs today
Last updated: Jan 13, 8:00 am UTC

FSD V12.6.1 is going out now to the redesigned Model S and X with HW3 and all Model 3 and Model Y vehicles with HW3. The initial wave went out last night, and we expect to see more later today or tomorrow. If this release ends up going “wide,” we should see much larger waves go out next week.


Tesla Issues Physical & OTA Recall for Hardware 4 Computer

By Karan Singh
Not a Tesla App

Tesla has issued a recall for some vehicles due to issues linked to a revision of the Hardware 4 (HW4) computer that was introduced this past November. This recall affects all vehicles with the revised hardware except for the Cybertruck, as it uses a slightly modified version of the HW4 system.

Many vehicle owners have reported a complete failure of their Autopilot computer, which not only leaves the vehicle without FSD and Autopilot but also disables many of the active safety features that make a Tesla what it is.

Let’s take a look at this recall - because the recall is partially physical and partially a software recall.

HW4 Failure

Tesla has identified the failure and flagged it to the U.S. NHTSA (but not Transport Canada or Euro NCAP at the time of publishing) as a recall.

Tesla mentions that the vehicle’s FSD computer circuit board may short circuit, resulting in the loss of the rearview camera image. The recall itself is focused on the rearview camera - as not having a functional rearview camera breaks a Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard. However, it does impact more than just the rearview camera.

As previously mentioned, users have experienced the full loss of Autopilot and FSD on these vehicles, as well as reduced traction control and removal of safety features such as automatic emergency braking, collision avoidance assist, and forward collision warnings. 

While the vehicle remains driveable, it is not necessarily a good idea to drive the vehicle with many of these features, especially with the reduced traction control noted by many people. We’ve already noted that while Tesla has been sending tow trucks to pick up some vehicles, it is also prompting owners to drive the vehicle to their service center in some cases.

Remedy

Unlike most of Tesla’s recalls, this one isn’t entirely an OTA recall, owing to the fact that people have already experienced circuit board shorts and are already waiting for replacements.

The software portion of the recall has already been mostly completed for any vehicles with Tesla software update 2024.45.25.3 or greater. However, a significant portion of the tracked fleet remains on update 2024.44.25.2 (approximately 20%), so we recommend updating your HW4 vehicle whenever you receive the notification.

On the hardware side, Tesla is immediately identifying and replacing hardware that has had circuit board failure. Tesla is also reaching out to customers who have expressed intermittent issues with Autopilot features, active safety features, or vehicle cameras that don't display correctly. If you have experienced any of these issues in a late 2024 vehicle, we recommend submitting a service ticket with Tesla to ensure that your vehicle isn’t affected by this recall.

Latest Tesla Update

Confirmed by Elon

Take a look at features that Elon Musk has said will be coming soon.

More Tesla News

Tesla Videos

Latest Tesla Update

Confirmed by Elon

Take a look at features that Elon Musk has said will be coming soon.

Subscribe

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter