At the Tesla Q4 2024 Earnings Call, we found out that Tesla now has a firm date and set location for the first deployment of its Robotaxi fleet. Now, several of Tesla's executives have re-iterated that deployment date and location in several different places.
Like most Tesla fans and investors, we’re excited to see Cybercab make its official debut on the streets of Austin, Texas, sometime in June. That’s potentially less than 100 days away - but who’s counting, right?
Elon Confirms
Elon Musk confirmed on X that Tesla is still on track to launch autonomous ride-hailing (Robotaxi) in Austin this June. Plus, they’re also working on rolling it out to even more cities in the United States by the end of the year.
Tesla’s benchmark for expanding deployments is ensuring that Robotaxi safety surpasses the average human driver by a wide margin. Based on the latest Vehicle Safety Report, Supervised FSD is already making strong progress, outperforming the average driver by 10.5 times—a full order of magnitude.
Franz Confirms
Franz Von Holzhausen, Tesla’s Head of Vehicle Design, also confirmed that Tesla will be offering Cybercab rides in Austin starting in June. What’s key here is that he confirmed the presence of Cybercabs finally deploying - it won’t be driverless Model Ys or Model 3s - it’ll be the Cybercab.
NEWS: Franz says Tesla will start offering Cybercab rides in Austin, Texas this June.
“Starting in June we’ll be having Cybercabs rolling around; That’ll be the technology that feels like the future but is happening today.”
That means an autonomy-first vehicle without a driver’s seat, steering wheel, or pedals will be on the road and driving people from point to point. Major autonomy competitors like Waymo use heavily modified EVs that still have seats and vehicle controls intact. An autonomy-first design increases passenger room and storage while also improving efficiency by reducing vehicle weight.
Are you planning on making your way down to Austin to experience the Robotaxi experience first-hand or are you planning on waiting until it’s deployed in a city near you? Let us know your thoughts in our forums or social media.
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We recently reported on an update from Tesla’s VP of Vehicle Engineering, Lars Moravy, confirming that the refreshed Model Y will feature adaptive headlights, including matrix headlight functionality.
Although Tesla has already enabled adaptive headlights in Europe and other regions, North American owners still do not have the feature due to different standards.
In an episode of Jay Leno’s Garage (video below), Lars mentioned that adaptive headlights are just a few months away in the U.S. and that many Tesla vehicles already have the necessary hardware—it’s simply a matter of enabling the feature via software.
Matrix or adaptive headlights selectively dim individual pixels, which greatly improves road safety by better illuminating the road for Tesla drivers and reducing blinding lights for oncoming traffic.
An example of the functionality of matrix headlights
Lighting Manufacturer
Two Months Away
Lars has now confirmed on X that Tesla has received regulatory approval for matrix headlights in the United States and that the hard part is now over. The company will begin rolling out adaptive headlights, starting with the new Model Y, and then expand it to the rest of their vehicles that have matrix headlights.
Rivian and Mercedes-Benz have already rolled out full matrix headlight systems in North America, putting Tesla slightly behind as it works on its own implementation.
Canada and Mexico
Unlike in the U.S., Tesla won’t face regulatory hurdles in Canada and Mexico, where adaptive headlights and matrix functionality were approved several years earlier. Once Tesla ensures compliance with local guidelines, enabling the feature should be a straightforward process.
High-Resolution vs Low-Resolution
Tesla first introduced matrix headlights with a high-resolution LED matrix headlight, allowing precise control over individual pixels. Over time, they transitioned to a lower-resolution version of the same system. While the headlights can no longer project things like “TESLA” during a light show, they’re likely cheaper to produce.
Whether your vehicle has the original high-resolution matrix headlights or the newer low-resolution version, once Tesla enables the feature, the experience should be similar.
Tesla has begun installing new anti-theft measures on some Supercharger cables, consisting of an exterior wrap called DyeDefender and engravings on the copper wiring inside the cables.
Like other high-speed EV charging stations, Superchargers have been frequent targets of vandalism and theft. While vandalism can often be mitigated through increased security, theft presents a bigger challenge. Thieves primarily target the copper inside the charging cables, which is densely packed and valuable as scrap metal.
DyeDefender
To address this, Tesla is trialing DyeDefender, a theft deterrent system commonly used to protect catalytic converters. It consists of a pressurized staining dye housed within a stainless steel hose called CatStrap, which wraps around the Supercharger cable. The CatStrap is highly resistant to cutting, but if breached, it releases a bright blue dye. While harmless, the dye is difficult to remove, making it easier to identify suspects.
Engraved Cables
Engraved -
Not a Tesla App
In addition to DyeDefender, Tesla is also engraving the actual copper wiring inside the cables, making stolen material harder to sell since scrapyards often reject marked metals.
This solution is more scalable, cost-effective, and doesn’t disrupt service operations or the customer experience—it simply involves engraving the copper inside the cables. Supercharger cables will be permanently marked with “Property of Tesla Motors,” engraved directly at the factory in Buffalo, New York.
Recycling companies and scrap yards will immediately recognize that the cables belong to Tesla and refuse to accept them. Instead, they may notify Tesla that they’ve received stolen goods. While this may not have an immediate impact, over time, as thieves realize that stolen Supercharger copper is unsellable and could get them caught, they’ll be less inclined to target them.
It’s interesting to see Tesla experiment with unique ways to protect Supercharger sites. While the company will likely focus on DyeDefender deployments in high-theft areas, this remains a trial phase. The full impact of cable engraving may take time to materialize, but it should prove effective in the long run.
In the meantime, continue reporting any downed Supercharger sites through the Tesla app by navigating to Location > Charging > Select Site > Report an Issue.
If you have any creative ideas on how Tesla can prevent vandalism and theft, share them with us on social media.
![Tesla Cybertruck Earns 5-Star Safety Rating in NHTSA Crash Tests [VIDEO]](https://www.notateslaapp.com/img/containers/article_images/cybertruck/cybertruck-crash-test-1.jpeg/9453a19b7592aeaaec42228dab574527/cybertruck-crash-test-1.jpg)
