Overview
- Tesla held an invite‑only event on Thursday, Sept. 3, and began offering paid Cybercab rides within a geofenced area of Austin the following day.
- The Cybercab is a two‑seat, purpose‑built robotaxi with no steering wheel, pedals or mirrors that runs on Tesla’s camera‑based Full Self‑Driving software.
- Texas Department of Motor Vehicles records show 45 Cybercabs registered to Tesla Robotaxi in Texas, and Tesla said production began in April 2026 with engineering and employee test drives already completed.
- The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has opened an inquiry into the rollout because federal safety rules assume permanent manual controls, meaning wider commercial use or sales will likely require certification or an exemption.
- The launch tests public trust and economics for driverless taxis: Tesla trails rivals such as Waymo by miles and fleet size, and past robotaxi pilots showed long waits and limited drop‑off coverage that could affect adoption and costs.