Tesla starts testing its production Cybercab without steering wheel or pedals in Austin

TL;DR

Tesla is testing a production Cybercab with no steering wheel or pedals on Austin roads, with a safety monitor in the passenger seat.

Tesla has begun testing a production version of its Cybercab on public roads in Austin, Texas, with no steering wheel and no pedals. The two-seat vehicle, which Tesla first revealed in October 2024, is being driven entirely by its autonomous software while a safety monitor rides in the right passenger seat. Tesla posted video of the test on X, showing the gold-colored Cybercab navigating Austin streets without any human controls inside.

This is the first time Tesla has put a vehicle without manual driving controls on public roads. Previous prototype Cybercabs tested in multiple US cities in recent weeks were equipped with a steering wheel and pedals. The production version removes those controls entirely, making it the clearest signal yet that Tesla’s purpose-built robotaxi is moving from concept to deployment.

The timing is not accidental. Last week, NHTSA proposed removing the federal requirement for brake pedals in vehicles designed exclusively for automated driving systems. The rule change, if adopted, would eliminate one of the last major regulatory barriers for vehicles like the Cybercab and is expected to go through later this year.

Tesla has been running a robotaxi service in Austin since June 2025 using modified Model Y SUVs, some operating without safety drivers. Texas records show Tesla has 42 robotaxis registered in the state, compared to 577 for Waymo. The Cybercab is meant to change that math by offering a purpose-built vehicle that is cheaper to produce and operate than retrofitting consumer cars.

Tesla argues it can out-compete Waymo because it builds both the car and the driving software, giving it greater control over costs. It also relies only on cameras for perception, while Waymo uses lidar, radar, and cameras together, a more expensive sensor suite. Tesla is targeting a retail price under $30,000 for the Cybercab and has set a long-term production goal of two million units per year.

The Austin robotaxi service has not been without problems. Tesla disclosed 17 incidents between July 2025 and April 2026, including at least two crashes caused by remote teleoperators who took control of vehicles at low speeds. Waymo has had its own issues, including a recall of nearly 4,000 robotaxis after they drove into highway construction zones 13 times.

Both companies are learning that scaling autonomous driving exposes edge cases faster than software can fix them. Waymo has six recalls to date, while Tesla’s Austin fleet has logged crashes involving both its AI and its human backup systems.

Rolling out distinctive, gold-colored Cybercabs with no visible controls will put Tesla’s robotaxi push under far greater public scrutiny than the near-invisible Model Y fleet. Every mistake will be easier to spot, and every success harder to dismiss. Whether the Cybercab performs well enough to justify the years of promises depends on what happens next on Austin’s roads, not in Elon Musk’s timeline projections.