Short answer
Listing SpaceX collaborations after the merger question, he said Starlink is going into Cybercab because robotaxis need coverage everywhere, including cellular dead zones in Silicon Valley, and because passengers will want 4K live sports and other high-bandwidth use that cellular cannot cheaply support.
From his 2026-07 answer in Tesla Q2 2026 earnings call. Summary is ours; see the quotes below.
In January 2020 he said there were no plans to put Starlink in cars that year, since Starlink was aimed at homes, businesses, aircraft and boats.
"There's no plans to do it this year. The focus of Starlink is really for high bandwidth, low latency connectivity for homes and businesses and I guess aircraft and boats"
He says cars would mostly use cellular, but in the countryside could connect via a Starlink antenna.
"if you're out in the countryside and there's not good cell connectivity, then you could connect with Starlink antenna"
In 2021 he said Tesla cars would not be connected to Starlink because the terminal was too big; it was for aircraft, ships, large trucks and RVs.
"Not connecting Tesla cars to Starlink, as our terminal is much too big. This is for aircraft, ships, large trucks & RVs."
Listing SpaceX collaborations after the merger question, he said Starlink is going into Cybercab because robotaxis need coverage everywhere, including cellular dead zones in Silicon Valley, and because passengers will want 4K live sports and other high-bandwidth use that cellular cannot cheaply support.
"Starlink with its ability to do connectivity anywhere is actually quite important"
In 2026 he said all cars will have Starlink in the future, as the only way to get very high bandwidth to billions of vehicles.
"All cars will have Starlink in the future.
It’s the only way to get super high bandwidth to billions of vehicles."
Last updated: 2026-08-09 (newest answer).
