Tesla built a Starlink internet dish into its Cybercab robotaxi

Tesla is giving its Cybercab a little help from another Elon Musk company.

On Monday, the EV maker shared photos on X of what it called the “First Cybercab with Starlink integration.” The images show a square-like cutout in the roofline, where the satellite internet equipment is built directly into the vehicle.

In a subsequent X post, Musk said riders inside the autonomous two-seat car can “watch live sports in 4k or movies or games or productivity.” First Cybercab with @Starlink integration pic.twitter.com/8TI6LYSFjl The integration is another example of how Musk’s companies are increasingly intertwined.

Tesla is using SpaceX’s AI personality, Grok, as a voice assistant in its vehicles; SpaceX is buying hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of Tesla Megapacks and cars; and the companies have partnered on a joint chip factory project called Terafab.

Those collaborations have inspired rumors of a potential mega-merger between the two companies.

Monday’s Cybercab post also shows how Tesla plans to keep its future fleet of driverless cars connected.

During the automaker’s second-quarter earnings call, Musk said that Starlink would help address gaps in cellular coverage as the company expands its self-driving robotaxi service. “We can’t have robotaxis getting stuck in these Bermuda Triangles of lack of cellular connectivity,” Musk said. “Starlink, with its ability to do connectivity anywhere, is actually quite important, so we don’t have robotaxis missing in action.”