Tesla’s Steering-Wheel-Free Cybercab Goes Live for Public Riders in Austin After Exclusive Launch Event
Tesla has opened public access to its Cybercab robotaxi in Austin, Texas, allowing paying riders to hail the gold-colored, two-seat autonomous vehicle through the company’s Robotaxi app, following an invite-only launch event held the previous day.
The Cybercab represents Tesla’s first vehicle built entirely without manual controls, featuring no steering wheel, pedals, or any traditional driving interface beyond adjustments to the seat, central touchscreen, and climate settings. The vehicle relies entirely on Tesla’s Full Self-Driving software and onboard AI computer to operate, with the company describing it as engineered to be among the safest vehicles on the road. Riders access the Cybercab through an updated version of the Robotaxi app, which now allows users in Austin to select between the two-seat Cybercab and the larger, five-seat Model Y robotaxi depending on group size and availability, though vehicle assignment currently depends on what is available at the time of booking.
Early riders have praised the vehicle’s spacious cabin design and the smoothness of its Full Self-Driving performance, alongside features including a large 22-inch touchscreen and native integration with Tesla’s Starlink satellite network, which the company says provides an additional connectivity layer for navigation, entertainment, and remote support even in areas with limited cellular coverage. Chief Executive Elon Musk has described the in-cabin experience as akin to a comfortable lounge on wheels, highlighting onboard entertainment options such as high-definition video streaming and gaming made possible by the Starlink hardware built into the vehicle’s roof.
Accessibility has featured prominently in Tesla’s messaging around the Cybercab’s design. The vehicle includes butterfly-style doors sized to accommodate wheelchair transfers, bench-style seating set at wheelchair height, additional trunk space for assistive devices, and braille lettering on physical controls including the emergency stop button and interior door releases, alongside dedicated grab points to assist passengers with mobility challenges during entry and exit. Musk has also noted that the Cybercab’s motor was engineered without the use of rare-earth metals while maintaining comparable range to Tesla’s existing vehicles, a development the company has described as a significant engineering achievement.
Despite the buildup surrounding the launch, the initial rollout remains limited in scale, with only a small number of Cybercabs currently authorised for operation in Texas and availability restricted to Austin for now, even as Tesla’s broader Robotaxi service continues to operate across additional cities including Dallas, Houston, Miami, Orlando, and Tampa using its existing Model Y fleet. The company has not yet confirmed pricing details for eventual individual or fleet purchases of the Cybercab, though it has opened an interest form on its website to gauge public demand ahead of any future sales rollout.
As Tesla works to scale up its autonomous ride-hailing operations, the Cybercab’s public debut marks a notable milestone in the company’s long-stated ambition to build a purpose-designed robotaxi fleet, even as questions remain over the pace of expansion and the broader reliability of its self-driving technology at scale.
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