Newshot Buying a Tesla Cybercab Comes With a Long List of Restrictions: No Wraps, No Modifications, Subscription Fees May Change
IT Home, November 15 news: Buying a Tesla Cybercab may come with far more restrictions than buying an ordinary Tesla vehicle. Beyond the $29,990 purchase price (IT Home note: roughly 201,000 RMB at current exchange rates), owners must also subscribe to Tesla's Autonomy self-driving service at $299 per month (roughly 2,000 RMB at current exchange rates). Under the subscription agreement, even after the vehicle has been paid for, owners must still follow a series of rules during use.
Tesla can adjust the price of the Autonomy subscription service at any time. According to the agreement, Tesla states: "We may adjust your subscription price in the future, but we will notify you one month in advance."
Tesla can also modify the terms of the subscription agreement. If an owner continues the subscription after the terms change, that means accepting the new agreement.
However, price adjustments could also work in owners' favor. 马斯克 has previously said that the $299 per month (roughly 2,000 RMB at current exchange rates) subscription fee is too expensive and should be lowered to around $115 per month (roughly 769.3 RMB at current exchange rates).
The subscription service renews monthly, and owners can cancel at any time through their Tesla account, but fees already paid will not be refunded on a pro-rata basis for remaining days of use. Because the Cybercab cannot operate without an active subscription, canceling the subscription effectively renders the vehicle unusable.
Owners cannot modify the Cybercab at will. According to the agreement, without work performed by Tesla or its authorized service providers, owners may not make any changes to the vehicle, including appearance adjustments such as color-change body wraps and window tinting, nor may they replace the wheels themselves. Violations may result in suspension of the Autonomy subscription service.
The agreement also explicitly prohibits reverse engineering or tampering with Tesla software.
Currently, the Cybercab is for personal, non-commercial use only. Owners cannot add the vehicle to Tesla's Robotaxi self-driving taxi network, nor connect it to platforms such as Uber or DoorDash, or use it for a car rental business, unless permitted by Tesla. However, Tesla has previously said it hopes to open the option for owners to join the Robotaxi network in the future.
In addition, the Cybercab can only operate within the Robotaxi geofence areas designated by Tesla, which currently cover only relevant areas in Texas. The agreement warns: "Driving outside the operating area is prohibited, and the system may also use technical means to prevent the vehicle from operating outside that area."
Tesla can expand, shrink, or adjust these operating areas at any time, and the operating range will not necessarily always match the areas covered by the Robotaxi service.
Like the FSD system for ordinary consumers, the Cybercab also uses a violation scoring mechanism. If an owner or passenger accumulates three or more violation records due to improper or unsafe use of the vehicle, the vehicle's self-driving function will be suspended for one week. During this period, the vehicle may even be completely unable to operate.
Even if the vehicle is suspended from use due to violations, the subscription fees the owner has already paid will not be refunded on a pro-rata basis.
Tesla also reserves the right to remotely locate, restrict, or even take over the Cybercab, and can also put the vehicle into a safe state. Depending on road type, weather conditions, or ongoing investigations and software update deployments, Tesla may restrict the vehicle's driving range.
Other rules owners need to know
Manual control: Owners can control the Cybercab over short distances via the center touchscreen, at a maximum speed of 2 miles per hour (about 3.2 km/h). This control function is not designed for public roads, and a valid U.S. driver's license is required to operate it.
Number of passengers: The Cybercab can carry at most two people at a time. Tesla does not recommend riding for children under 13. If a child rides, an adult must accompany them and use a compliant child safety seat.
Repairs and maintenance: The Cybercab can drive itself to a Tesla service center for maintenance. If Tesla finds repair items not covered by the warranty and the owner does not approve the repairs within two hours, the vehicle will return without completing the relevant repairs. If the owner skips the required safety inspections, the vehicle may be subject to operational restrictions.
Tickets and tolls: Owners are responsible for tolls, parking fees, and traffic violation fines. If an owner believes a traffic violation was caused by the Cybercab's self-driving system, they can submit relevant evidence to Tesla and request that Tesla pay the fine.
Data collection: Tesla collects location data during vehicle operation, exterior camera footage, and images captured by interior cameras, as well as call audio when users contact customer support. This data is retained for 30 days by default.
Deliveries to the first Cybercab customers are expected to begin next month. At that point, the first owners will soon experience the real-world impact of these rules in daily use.
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