Tesla files for additional trademarks for the Cybercab in some US states: Cybercar, Cybervehicle, Robotaxi

Tesla (TSLA) now has four names for its smaller vehicle robotaxi platform. Tesla has filed for additional names due to regulatory hurdles in some US states.

At the unveiling event in 2024, Tesla gave it the name ‘Robotaxi’. Unfortunately, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) refused Tesla’s application because it was deemed ‘too generic’ by the trademark authority.

Tesla also mishandled the ‘Cybercab’ trademark. The automaker delayed applying for this trademark, and it was snatched up by a squatter, a French beverage company, Unibev.

However, these are not the only reasons that Tesla has registered new trademarks for the vehicle. In some US states, an automaker is not allowed to use the names ‘Cab’ or ‘Taxi’ for its vehicles. Most probably because of the same reason of being too generic.

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The new ‘Cybercar’ trademark logo. Tesla registered the Robotaxi vehicle with different names in some U.S. states due to regulations. Credit: Courtesy of Tesla, Inc. (TSLA).

So, it has been a bitter taste for Tesla overall in terms of the Robotaxi trademark registrations. The following are the four different names for Tesla’s smallest and least expensive vehicles:

Robotaxi (general)
Cybercab (the main name)
Cybercar (in some US states)
Cybervehicle (in some US states)

Although a squatter is holding the Cybercab trademark, Tesla would easily get it back. A beverage company holding this name is illogical. A car company that has widely advertised the acronym will legally get the trademark back, most probably, without paying anything to the squatter.

Regulatory frameworks and multiple names for the Cybercab will create confusion for customers as these vehicles start working for the automaker’s robotaxi autonomous ride-hailing service.

At this point in time, Tesla Cybercab is in the prototype stage. Tesla is crash-testing the vehicles for safety and performing extensive trials in different US cities for localization and Unsupervised FSD AI training.

Tesla filed for these patents on 28th January. The current status of the CYBERVEHICLE and CYBERCAR trademark applications is ‘Awaiting Examination’ (see the following screenshots from the USPTO website for details).