Tesla has revealed that its upcoming Cybercab robotaxi will feature a built-in SpaceX Starlink V5 satellite dish, showcased via a cutaway image posted on X alongside GPS and 5G LTE connectivity. The move is another example of cross-pollination between Elon Musk's companies, positioning the vehicle to draw on space-based internet for autonomous driving support, though the practical benefit is questionable given the cars currently only operate within cities that already have strong cellular coverage.

The integrated dish uses the Starlink V5 model announced only a week earlier, which is smaller and more energy-efficient than its predecessor but slightly slower, offering 375+ Mbps versus the V4's 400+ Mbps. Notably, Starlink markets the V5 for "home internet" use rather than on-the-go applications like its Mini unit, and with average US city 5G speeds around 175 Mbps, the satellite link appears redundant for short urban trips. Tesla suggests it could still aid fleet-wide functions such as inter-vehicle communication and remote support, but has not announced a launch timeline; its robotaxi fleet currently numbers just 39 unsupervised vehicles and 770 in total including supervised ones.