Tesla has started testing a production version of the Cybercab, a two-seat vehicle with no steering wheel or pedals, on public roads in Austin, Texas. According to a video posted on X, the social media platform owned by Elon Musk, the tests are being conducted with a safety monitor seated in the front passenger seat. This marks a concrete step toward Musk's decade-long promise of launching a fully autonomous robotaxi network.
Testing with a safety monitor onboard
The Cybercab is designed to be a fully autonomous robotaxi without any manual controls. In the current tests, a human supervisor is present to intervene if needed, but the vehicle is intended to operate without human intervention. This comes nearly two years after the Cybercab design was unveiled, which Musk showed in 2024. For about a year, Tesla has been testing a robotaxi service in Austin using Model Y SUVs, sometimes with safety monitors.
The path to full self-driving
In recent weeks, Tesla has tested prototype Cybercabs equipped with steering wheels and pedals in several U.S. cities and has parked hundreds of vehicles in some parking lots, fueling speculation about a large-scale launch. A significant regulatory hurdle is about to be removed: the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has proposed no longer requiring brake pedals for vehicles designed exclusively for autonomous driving. The proposal is in the public comment period but is expected to be approved by the end of the year.
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Challenges for Tesla's robotaxi compared to Waymo
Musk and Tesla executives argue they can surpass current leader Waymo by building both vehicles and driving software, giving them greater cost control. Unlike Waymo, which uses complex sensors like lidar and radar, Tesla relies solely on cameras for autonomous driving. However, Tesla has yet to deploy a fully autonomous vehicle at scale. Its Austin robotaxi service has fluctuated in size, and some vehicles have been involved in minor crashes, at least two caused by remote operators. As analyzed in our comparison of AI chatbots, even cutting-edge technologies face similar challenges. Waymo, for its part, has struggled with highways, flooding, and school buses, showing the road to full autonomy is fraught with obstacles for everyone.
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The rollout of gold-colored, two-seater Cybercabs will bring greater scrutiny to Tesla's successes and struggles, making the journey toward autonomous driving visible to all. According to experts, the competition with Waymo will hinge on the ability to scale safely and cost-effectively. For more on artificial intelligence technologies applied to vehicles, see the Wikipedia page on Tesla Autopilot.
