Overview
- Tesla announced at an Austin event on Thursday that it has begun limited U.S. operations for the two-seat Cybercab and added the model to its existing Robotaxi network.
- The Cybercab is built without a steering wheel, pedals or traditional mirrors and relies on an end-to-end, camera-only neural driving system; Tesla lists a 47.6 kWh battery and an EPA-equivalent range of about 673 km.
- Photographs and local reports show Cybercab fleets already staged outside Austin with sightings of roughly 20 vehicles at Miami International Airport and additional cars near a Tesla showroom outside Philadelphia.
- The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has opened a review covering about 1,000 Cybercab vehicles to examine Tesla’s certification data and the implications of vehicles that lack permanently fixed manual controls such as a steering wheel and pedals.
- Tesla says a forthcoming software integration tied to its ‘v15’ work could enable 24-hour Robotaxi operation next month, a change that would raise vehicle utilization and revenue potential but that still depends on technical validation and regulatory clearance; Tesla also plans public Cybercab exhibits in Beijing and Shanghai in mid-September.