Cybercab Test Units Land at Tesla Peabody — Days After We Tracked the Hauler Up I-84

We called it. On Tuesday we tracked a hauler carrying three Cybercabs east on I-84 through Tolland, Connecticut, minutes from the Massachusetts line, and said the realistic destinations narrowed to the Boston metro or the North Shore. Days later, here they are — on the North Shore, at the Tesla showroom in Peabody.

These photos come from Anthony Santilli, who spotted the cars at Tesla Peabody and gave us permission to run them. We confirmed the location ourselves against the Peabody showroom. We've obscured the license plates; everything else is exactly as shot.

What We're Looking At

Gold-wrapped, no side mirrors, aero wheel covers, California manufacturer plates, parked behind cones at a Tesla service entrance. This is the textbook signature of a Tesla pre-production test fleet — the gold finish is camouflage wrap Tesla uses to obscure body details on prototype mules during public testing.

You'll notice the steering wheels under covers in the interior shots, and that's worth heading off directly. The consumer Cybercab is built to be fully autonomous, with no steering wheel and no pedals. But test, validation, and mapping units are fitted with temporary manual controls so a safety driver can take over during the rollout phase. A covered steering wheel isn't evidence against a Cybercab — it's exactly what you'd expect on a pre-rollout test car, which is what these are.

Why Peabody, and Why Now

The timing isn't a coincidence. Tesla has been seeding early-production Cybercabs to testing sites and showrooms nationwide since March, and the company has said it wants robotaxi operations in roughly a dozen states by the end of 2026. The North Shore puts these cars within easy reach of exactly the conditions that make Boston the ultimate proving ground: rotaries, aggressive merges, and a winter that breaks lesser driver-assist systems.

It also lands them where the competition is already working. Waymo has been laying groundwork in Boston for months — we've been mapping every sighting since they arrived. Tesla showing up on the North Shore with a test fleet is the clearest sign yet that it doesn't intend to cede New England to anyone.

The Catch Hasn't Changed

As we laid out when we tracked the hauler: fully driverless commercial operation still isn't legal in Massachusetts. Whatever these test units are here to do, they're doing it with a safety driver under MassDOT's testing framework — not carrying paying passengers. That doesn't happen until the Legislature acts. Bill S.2379 is the vehicle for it, and the hardware showing up at Peabody only sharpens the question of when the law catches up.

Help Us Track Them

If you spot a Cybercab anywhere in the Boston area — Peabody, Dedham, on a truck, or on the road — send it through our sighting form. Photos with a location and timestamp are gold. Huge thanks to Anthony Santilli for these — community-sourced coverage is how we beat the national outlets to our own backyard.

Frequently Asked Questions

Were Tesla Cybercabs spotted in Massachusetts?

Yes — gold-camo Cybercab test units were photographed at Tesla Peabody on June 14, 2026, days after we tracked a hauler carrying Cybercabs up I-84 toward Massachusetts.

Why do these Cybercabs have steering wheels?

The consumer Cybercab has no steering wheel or pedals. Test and validation units get temporary manual controls so a safety driver can operate them during rollout — consistent with what's visible here.

Why are the cars wrapped in gold?

It's camouflage wrap, standard on Tesla prototype mules to obscure body details during public testing. They also wear aero wheel covers and California manufacturer plates.

Can Cybercabs legally operate in Massachusetts?

Not as driverless vehicles. Fully autonomous operation isn't legal here yet; S.2379 would create the framework. Until then, these are testing or display units only.