Tesla prepares to unveil driverless Cybercab in Austin amid safety doubts

Tesla is set to roll out its gold-colored Cybercab, a two-seat robotaxi without steering wheel or pedals, at a public event in Austin, Texas, as early as this month. The vehicle has been tested on private tracks around the company’s campus since July, and city officials confirmed that first responders have been instructed on how to move the cars in emergencies. The Cybercab runs on Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (Supervised) system, which the firm claims is safer than human drivers, but independent experts and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration have highlighted the need for constant driver monitoring and ongoing safety investigations.

While Tesla plans to rely on remote operators for emergency control, concerns persist about signal latency, prompting the addition of Starlink connectivity. Data collection remains a challenge, as the Cybercab requires its own driving dataset separate from the broader Tesla fleet. Comparisons with Waymo’s extensive driverless mileage underscore Tesla’s relative lag in proven autonomous performance.