Tesla to unveil driverless Cybercab at Austin event, signaling push into robotaxi market

Tesla plans to present its matte-gold, steering-wheel-free Cybercab at its Austin headquarters on Thursday, an event that follows a prototype reveal on a Warner Bros. lot in 2024. The firm has already registered 51 Cybercabs in Texas, supplementing a fleet that includes 263 Model Ys, and continues to run a pilot program that started last summer in Austin and has expanded to a handful of other Texas and Florida locations, with permits pending in Arizona and Nevada.

Elon Musk responded to a query about fleet size with a confident "Yes," while head of AI software Ashok Elluswamy hinted the streets will be transformed. The company has not disclosed whether the Cybercabs will be sold to private drivers or stay within its ride-hail service, and state regulations still limit driverless operation in places like the San Francisco Bay Area. Industry observers note that the venture’s viability depends on Tesla’s autonomous software outperforming competitors that rely on lidar and radar, such as Waymo, which recently criticized Tesla’s camera-only approach. Ongoing safety investigations by the NHTSA into the Full Self-Driving system add further uncertainty to the rollout.