Tesla's Cybercabs Hit Austin Streets --- Driverless rides reflect Musk's push to turn EV maker into driverless giant

“Tesla unleashed its steering-wheel-free Cybercabs on the roads of Austin, Texas, in the first public test of its promise to transition from traditional electric vehicles to fully autonomous cars.

 

Tesla influencers posted photos and videos Thursday ahead of an invite-only launch event in downtown Austin. The company teased the event with a countdown clock on its website.

 

Cybercab, a two-seater gold coupe that doesn't have pedals or mirrors, isn't yet available for sale to customers. Tesla posted a form on its website to collect contact information of people interested in "Cybercab fleet vehicle purchasing."

 

The company has touted Cybercab as a lower-cost option versus competing robotaxis, because its vehicle navigates roads using only cameras and neural networks. Other vehicles use technology like radar and lidar, which uses lasers to create 3D maps of the environment.

 

Tesla said Thursday customers in Austin can now book rides in Cybercabs through the company's Robotaxi ride-hailing app, which launched last year. The offering puts Tesla in competition with ride-share providers like Uber and Lyft, as well as autonomous ride-hailing services from Alphabet's Waymo and Amazon's Zoox.

 

Ahead of Thursday's event, the automaker added dozens of Cybercabs to the fleet of vehicles that passengers could book.

 

Previously rides were only available in Tesla Model Ys and in some cases with a safety driver.

 

In late August, Zoox, a toaster-shaped robotaxi, started offering free rides in San Francisco and paid rides in Las Vegas.

 

Waymo, the leader in autonomous ride hailing, has around 4,000 cars on the road across 14 cities, though it uses retrofitted vehicles with special sensors to enable human-free driving.

 

Regulators for years approached autonomous vehicles cautiously.

 

In June, the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration proposed rules that would eliminate the requirement for manual pedals in autonomous driving systems with an eye toward getting the new technology on the road faster.

 

The NHTSA grants exemptions to automakers to sell vehicles not fully in compliance with the rules but caps them at 2,500 cars a year. Automakers can also self-certify whether their technology meets federal safety criteria.

 

Tesla hasn't filed an exemption request for the Cybercab, but the agency is in touch with the automaker and monitoring the situation, a spokesperson for the NHTSA said.” [1]

 

1. Tesla's Cybercabs Hit Austin Streets --- Driverless rides reflect Musk's push to turn EV maker into driverless giant. Peterson, Becky.  Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition; New York, N.Y.. 04 Sep 2026: B4.