Tesla has deployed dozens of self-driving Cybercabs without steering wheels or brake pedals on public streets in Austin, Texas, marking the first public rollout of the company’s robotaxi service. The vehicles, which operate without traditional controls, were introduced during an invitation-only event on Thursday, with CEO Elon Musk teasing the launch on social media platform X with posts such as “No steering wheel, no pedals” and “A Storm of Cybercabs.”
The move comes as Tesla faces pressure to accelerate its autonomous driving ambitions amid declining vehicle sales and heightened competition in the self-driving taxi market. Tesla’s stock rose more than 5% on Thursday, reflecting investor optimism about the service’s potential. However, the company still trails industry leader Waymo in both the number of deployed vehicles and completed trips.
Tesla’s Cybercab is designed as a two-seater with butterfly doors, featuring no traditional driver controls. While the company has tested versions with human drivers and conventional controls, the newly deployed fleet operates without any physical means for passengers to intervene in an emergency. Tesla has previously marketed its Full Self-Driving (FSD) system, though current models still require a human driver to remain attentive and ready to take control.
The deployment follows years of Musk’s promises that Tesla would soon introduce fully autonomous vehicles capable of navigating without human oversight. As of 2025, Tesla’s fleet of unsupervised robotaxis—vehicles legally permitted to operate without a driver in specific geofenced areas—remains limited to just over 200 vehicles nationwide.
Public skepticism persists, with a Pew Research Center survey from February 2025 indicating that 70% of U.S. adults expressed discomfort with riding in a driverless car. Tesla’s push into robotaxis also follows a period of market volatility, including a stock decline last year amid political controversies and boycotts tied to Musk’s public support for certain political candidates.
Industry analysts note that Tesla’s camera-only autonomous system faces higher scrutiny compared to competitors like Waymo and Amazon’s Zoox, which utilize radar and lidar technologies alongside cameras. Tesla’s reliance on vision-based systems has raised questions about its ability to safely navigate complex urban environments and avoid collisions with pedestrians.
The company has not specified a timeline for expanding the Cybercab service beyond Austin, though Musk has indicated plans to launch in additional cities in the coming months.