Update, August 19, 2026: Tesla later showed more crash-lab Cybercabs and said it was working with NHTSA on federal motor-vehicle safety standards for the two-seater. There is still no IIHS Top Safety Pick for Cybercab. Tesery’s Cybertruck TSP+ is a different vehicle. A factory crash mule is not a published rating.
On December 22, 2025, Giga Texas watcher Joe Tegtmeyer posted drone photos: Cybercab castings around the casting section, and more Cybercabs next to the crash-testing building, some with covers off. Recaps that day counted about 16 units in the lot and said at least one uncovered car looked crash-damaged, with an airbag showing. Tegtmeyer’s own caption did not use the phrase “safest taxi on the road.”
The original Tesery headline — “Tesla Prioritizes Safety in Its Upcoming Cybercab” — is a slogan. What the photos show is that Tesla is wrecking two-seaters at Giga Texas before the Q2 2026 volume target. That is normal OEM crash work. It does not prove the production Cybercab will pass IIHS or NHTSA 5-star, and it does not make the car legal as a wheel-free taxi.
Key facts
- What was photographed: Cybercabs and castings at Giga Texas, including units beside the crash-test facility, December 22, 2025.
- Who shot it: Joe Tegtmeyer, drone, on X.
- What later posts added: A count of ~16 cars; visible crush and at least one deployed airbag on uncovered units.
- Production clock then: Recaps said “about 130 days” — roughly late April / Q2 2026, matching Musk’s public volume window.
- What it is not: An IIHS award, an NHTSA star rating, or a Tesla press release titled “safest taxi.”
Cybercab Castings around the Giga Texas casting section… more Cybercabs next to the crash testing facility today with some great views of a few without covers.
— Joe Tegtmeyer (@JoeTegtmeyer) December 22, 2025
Open Joe Tegtmeyer’s original X post.
Crash mules vs a published rating
Every new Tesla spends time in a crash lab. A side-hit car with bags out is evidence Tesla is running barrier tests. It is not a score. The unnamed “Tesla spokesperson” quote in the old Tesery draft (“rethinking the whole idea of safety in public transport”) has no named source here — we dropped it.
Do not borrow the Cybertruck’s IIHS Top Safety Pick+ for this body. That plus applies to later Cybertruck crew cabs. Tesery already wrote that April 2025-and-later Cybertruck award. Cybercab is a two-seat, no-wheel product with a different structure. Later Tesery notes on Santana Row display cars and South Lamar mules with wheels are other rungs — showroom trim and street mules, not crash ratings.
FAQ
Did Tesla publish Cybercab crash-test scores in December 2025?
No. The public evidence that week was drone photos of cars at the lab.
Does crash-testing mean the car is approved to carry paid riders with no wheel?
No. FMVSS / NHTSA and state robotaxi rules are separate. Tesla later said it was talking to NHTSA about those standards.
Is this the same as Austin Robotaxi?
No. Late-2025 paid Robotaxi used Model Ys. Cybercab is the purpose-built two-seater.
For readers: wrecked prototypes at Giga Texas are a production-prep signal. They are not a safety certificate you can quote to a regulator.
Featured photo: interior of Tesla’s two-seat Cybercab (file photo of the cabin type in those crash-lab shots). Image via Wikimedia Commons.
Related: Cybertruck IIHS Top Safety Pick+ (different vehicle) · 2025 recap said Cybercab production started · Santana Row Cybercab display · Wheeled Cybercab mules on South Lamar
