🇿🇦 English, 20 October 2026, robotaxis
Tesla Cybercab Would Struggle to Make Money in Sandton
A robotaxi would lose about R1/km, according to Morgan Stanley's estimates, due to high vehicle costs and commission fees.
The running costs of a Tesla Cybercab, at about R2.04/km, are lower than those of a human-driven car, but the vehicle’s high purchase price and commission fees make it unprofitable in Sandton.
A robotaxi’s pitch is removing the driver, but in Sandton, the costliest part is the car and keeping it running.
The difference between the Cybercab’s cost and a human-driven car’s cost is about R425 000, which equals more than three years of a driver’s best-week take-home pay.