Is Minneapolis, Minnesota on Tesla’s punch list as the automaker eyes new markets for its robotaxi service?
On Saturday, an eagle-eyed reader named George of Victory & Reseda spotted a Tesla CyberCab in an unexpected location: Minneapolis, Minnesota. George said there were actually two gold Tesla units sitting quietly unattended in the parking lot. Why?
George told drive Both CyberCabs were sitting in a parking lot outside a Tesla-owned office in the Minneapolis suburb of Brooklyn Park and were clearly visible to anyone driving on MN Highway 610.
According to George, both cars had a VIN ending around 650, indicating that both of these cars may have been early production models.
According to George, both cars had steering wheels, but lacked a plastic shroud around the steering column. Two production-intent-looking black leather seats that we’ve seen before were onboard.
EPA documents revealed CyberCab specs that Tesla is keeping close to its chest. The filing indicates the two-seat coupe has a 219-horsepower front motor and a curb weight of 3,113 pounds. A small battery pack of approximately 50 kWh is indicated as the power source and the driving range is approximately 280 miles per charge.
Currently, Waymo is actively laying the groundwork to bring its autonomous robotaxi service to the Minneapolis area. Two weeks ago I saw some of the company’s next-generation robotaxis, sourced from Zeeker, charging up with Waymo handlers in a western suburb of St. Louis Park.
Today, Tesla operates its robotaxi service in five US markets, including Austin, Dallas, Houston, Miami, and San Francisco. The obvious question is, what are two cybercabs doing in Minneapolis? Is Tesla planning to expand its robotaxi service to Minnesota?
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