No steering wheel. No pedals.Tesla’s Cybercab hits the road

TDT | agencies

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Waymo was already offering self-driving rides in US cities. But its vehicles still had the familiar steering wheel and pedals. Tesla, however, gets rid of those too.

Its Cybercab has no steering wheel, no pedals and no human driver — and is now entering the US robotaxi race against companies like Waymo and Uber.

First unveiled in October 2024, the gold-coloured Cybercab was designed specifically as a driverless taxi, with space for two passengers.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk recently posted an image of a Cybercab looming over Austin, Texas, with a cloud of dust behind it.

And the futuristic taxis are no longer just a concept.

Cybercabs have been spotted on Austin’s streets, while passengers have started seeing the vehicle as an option on Tesla’s updated app.

At an invite-only launch event in Austin, attendees reportedly became some of the first people to ride in the driverless Cybercabs. The vehicles are expected to become available to the public from Friday.

Musk has even predicted a “storm of Cybercabs” in the Texas capital.

Tesla says the vehicles could make transportation safer and easier, particularly for elderly and disabled passengers.

But Tesla is not starting from scratch. Last year, the company launched its Robotaxi service in Austin using Model Y SUVs, gradually expanding it to other cities in Texas, Florida and California.

There is, however, a catch.

Some state regulations still require a human supervisor or driver to be ready to take control if necessary.

Waymo, meanwhile, already operates its autonomous ride-hailing service in 11 US cities. Tesla had registered 314 robotaxis in Texas as of Wednesday, including 45 Cybercabs, according to FSD Database data based on Texas DMV records.

Analysts expect Tesla to take a slow approach to the rollout, learning from early users before expanding the service.

And that sets up a much bigger race. Can Tesla, Waymo and the other robotaxi companies make autonomous rides safe, scalable — and even cheaper than human-driven taxi?

For now, Tesla is just getting started.