Tesla Reveals Cybercab Teardown Details and Production Line Data

On November 4, Munro Live released a teardown video of the Tesla Cybercab and footage from an on-site visit to the Cybercab production line at Giga Texas. The tour was led by Tesla Vice President of Vehicle Engineering Lars Moravy, Cybercab Program Manager Eric Earley, and team members. Battery pack: The Cybercab uses 4680 cells, split into multiple independently packaged modules, so a single module can be replaced individually if it fails. The complete structural battery pack can hold about 10% more cells. The Cybercab is the first to use a steel battery pack enclosure; steel costs about $1.9 per kilogram (about 12.7 yuan), compared with $5 to $8 (about 33.4 to 53.5 yuan) for alternative materials. Extra space is reserved around and beneath the battery modules for future installation of lithium iron phosphate (LFP) cells. The battery management circuit boards communicate wirelessly with each other. The new design eliminates pyrotechnic fuses and uses a new type of contactor to cut power under load; the design has been patented. The access point for servicing electronic components is located at the bottom of the battery pack. Drive unit: The Cybercab is front-wheel drive with an 11:1 gear ratio. The new inverter has at least two suppliers for every component. Tesla drive unit chief Nick Verzani said the circuit boards and power-stage components of the new inverter will enter production at the Fremont factory in 2026, and the complete inverter can be installed directly into the Model Y drive unit. The same drive unit will also be used in the Semi electric truck. Tesla plans to reduce gear transmission losses by 7% later in 2026 by using a new lubricant. The drive unit uses a mechanical oil pump, and the inverter can be serviced from the top of the vehicle. Body and manufacturing: The Cybercab eliminates the traditional paint shop. Building a paint line requires hundreds of millions of dollars and about 1 million labor hours. The front and rear body modules are not e-coated, while the side modules are painted and use a boron steel door ring structure. Body panels get their color through a reaction injection molding (RIM) process. Moravy said the vehicle's design life is at least doubled, with a minimum of 500,000 miles of driving. The Cybercab uses the Unboxed manufacturing process, splitting the vehicle into front, rear, side, and center modules that are built and tested separately before assembly. Final assembly requires 25 fully automated stations, compared with about 5 to 10 times that number on the Model Y line. The overall production line automation rate is about 78%. The factory footprint is reduced by about 50%. The front module contains about half of the vehicle's parts and is assembled on a pallet. The Cybercab is Tesla's first model to use brake-by-wire technology. Wheels are installed at the second-to-last station by a robot named Hulk Hogan. The line does not currently run every day. The Cybercab features gullwing doors, and the seat height matches that of a standard wheelchair. The thermal management system moves complex structures to the coolant loop side, keeps the refrigerant loop sealed, and mounts the air-conditioning compressor directly on the Supermanifold thermal management manifold. Deployment plans: Tesla has already deployed more than 300 Cybercabs in Austin, expects to launch Robotaxi passenger service in Dallas in November, and plans to deliver the first Cybercabs to customers by the end of 2026.