Overview
- Tesla is operating a limited, geofenced Cybercab pilot in Austin with about 45 vehicles registered with Texas authorities and paid rides available to early users.
- The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has opened an audit covering roughly 1,000 Cybercabs to examine how Tesla determined the cars meet Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards.
- The Cybercab is a two‑seat vehicle built without a steering wheel, pedals, or conventional mirrors and relies on touchscreen controls and camera‑only sensing, which safety experts say raise failure‑mode and redundancy concerns.
- Austin firefighters warned that manual functions tied to the in‑car touchscreen could slow or complicate emergency rescues, and some riders and responders reported glitches such as an on‑screen virtual joystick appearing unexpectedly.
- Tesla is deploying mixed testing modes beyond Austin, with some Cybercabs seen in New York fitted with steering wheels and human overseers, and personal‑injury lawyers are already preparing lawsuits that could shape how fast the program can expand.