Update, August 19, 2026: Tesla’s public Robotaxi app still listed Model Y-class service in the cities that later opened. A December 2025 Model S with a roof validation mast did not become an “Uber Black” Tesla SKU. Do not read a sedan mule as a luxury Robotaxi product launch.
On December 11, 2025 Sawyer Merritt posted photos of two Tesla Model S cars in California wearing the same roof validation rig Tesla had already used on Model Y test cars. Quote: “Two Model S vehicles spotted in California with the same validation rig that Tesla has been using on their Model Y’s all over the U.S.” Open the original X post. That is the fact. Tesla did not publish a “premium Robotaxi” price card that day. A sedan on a mapping/validation loop is how you collect data in a different body and sensor height — not a luxury ride-hail launch.
Two Model S vehicles spotted in California with the same validation rig that Tesla has been using on their Model Y’s all over the U.S.
— Sawyer Merritt (@SawyerMerritt) December 11, 2025
Key facts
- What was seen: Two Model S, California, roof validation / LiDAR-style mast matching Model Y mules.
- Who posted it: Sawyer Merritt, Dec. 11, 2025, with photos.
- What Tesla did not say: That Robotaxi would add a Model S luxury tier, or that paying riders could hail a Model S.
- Paid Robotaxi that month: Austin Model Ys, small fleet. Tesery: empty-car tests a few days later and the ~20-car Austin count.
Why a Model S mule is not a product
Validation rigs (including temporary LiDAR) are how Tesla scores camera software against a ranging sensor. Putting that mast on a Model S changes ride height, windshield, and cabin — useful for FSD/Robotaxi research. It does not mean Tesla is building Uber Black. Cybercab is the purpose-built two-seater; Model Y was the 2025 paid car. Keep those lanes separate.
FAQ
Did Tesla announce a premium Robotaxi?
No. The news is two Model S mules with a known validation rig.
Does a LiDAR mast mean Tesla abandoned cameras-only?
No. Test cars have used LiDAR as a scoring tool for years. That is not the customer sensor suite.
Could Robotaxi later use Model S?
Tesla can test any body. A test is not a fare class.
For owners: a Model S mule in California does not change FSD (Supervised) on your car, and it does not put your sedan into the Robotaxi app.
Featured photo: 2023 Tesla Model S (file photo of the sedan body, not Sawyer Merritt’s Dec. 11 mast photo). Image via Wikimedia Commons.
Related: Empty Austin Robotaxi tests, Dec. 14 · Austin fleet was still ~20 cars · Goldman: scale speed is the metric
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