Illustrative model — not a quote or earnings forecast. All business inputs are editable assumptions. Confirm current purchase terms, permissions and commercial insurance before relying on a scenario. Source context: September 27–28, 2026.
Set the assumptions
Paid utilization = paid passenger miles ÷ total road miles. Owner labor is valued even if you do the work yourself.
ANNUAL ECONOMIC PROFIT · BEFORE INCOME TAX
Two odometers
What would $30,000 require?
Reverse calculation holds your current unit costs and paid utilization fixed. It does not prove enough demand, uptime or vehicle life exists.Cash, depreciation and financing
Operating cash here subtracts cash operating expenses and the entered value of owner labor, but excludes vehicle capital costs and income tax. Economic profit also subtracts straight-line depreciation. Financing is not included: separately calculate debt cash flow, subtracting actual debt service from operating cash. For accounting profit, subtract interest rather than principal. Never subtract both full loan principal payments and depreciation from the same measure.
Add dedicated charger installation and other upfront capital to purchase fees/capital. Add recurring support and other annual costs to operations. Extraordinary repairs, changes in resale value, financing, taxes on profit, inflation and platform-specific fee bundling are not automatically predicted. Avoid duplicate costs if a verified platform contract already covers a line.
Five documents before a purchase
- Delivered vehicle price, equipment, fees and availability.
- Signed operator terms: fare setting, share, included costs, downtime and changes.
- Written commercial coverage and authority for the actual operator, vehicle and service area.
- Operating records: paid/empty miles, trips, downtime and every expense.
- A repair reserve, exit/resale plan and downside budget.
Verify the underlying terms
Tesla Cybercab FAQ · Texas AV program · California passenger-service programs
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