Tesla Begins Testing Two-Seat Cybercab Without Steering Wheel or Pedals

This test is happening nearly two years after Tesla revealed the design of the Cybercab, which is meant to be a fully autonomous robotaxi that can be hailed through Tesla’s app. Roughly a year ago, Tesla began testing a Tesla Robotaxi service in Austin with Model Y SUVs that have, at times, used safety monitors.

Tesla has been testing prototype versions of the Cybercab, equipped with a steering wheel and pedals, in a number of cities around the United States in recent weeks.

Last week, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration revealed a proposal that would not mandate brake pedals in vehicles designed to be driven exclusively by automated driving systems. The proposal is still in the public comment period, but it is expected to go through later this year.

Tesla executives have argued that the company will be able to out-compete the current robotaxi leader, Waymo, because Tesla is building the cars and the driving software. " Tesla is also trying to make the Cybercab fully autonomous using only cameras, whereas Waymo uses a more complex suite of sensors, including lidar and radar.

The closest Tesla has come to deploying a fully autonomous vehicle at scale is the robotaxi service in Austin, which has seen its size wax and wane in the year it has been live. Some of those vehicles have been involved in a number of minor crashes, at least two of which were caused by remote operators.

Waymo’s robotaxis have also gotten into minor crashes, and as that company scaled, it has encountered a number of problems and edge cases. The Alphabet-owned company’s robotaxis currently cannot take highways because they were struggling to maneuver around construction zones, leading to a recall.