The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has launched an audit query into Tesla's Cybercab, questioning how the company certified the vehicle without sideview mirrors, pedals, or a steering wheel—features normally mandated under federal safety standards. The probe covers roughly 1,000 Cybercabs, though only 45 are currently registered with Texas' DMV, and comes just as Tesla publicly unveiled the vehicle in Austin as part of its Robotaxi rollout.
Tesla has started deploying its Cybercab, a robotaxi built without a steering wheel or pedals, on public roads in Austin. The rollout marks an early real-world test of the company's fully autonomous ride-hailing vehicle design.
Tesla has started deploying its steering-wheel-free Cybercab for paid rides through its Robotaxi app, though so far only in Austin and only as one possible vehicle assigned by availability rather than by rider choice. The app also covers Dallas, Houston, Miami, Orlando and Tampa, but those cities currently get standard Model Y rides. Tesla holds permits for 314 driverless vehicles in Texas, with just 45 being Cybercabs, and it isn't clear how many are actually shuttling paying customers versus still being tested.
Tesla debuted its driverless Cybercab on public roads in Austin with an unusually low-key event—no livestream, no Elon Musk appearance, and influencers barred from posting until hours later. Roughly 45 of the pedal-less, wheel-less two-seaters are now registered to run on Tesla's robotaxi network in Texas.
Tesla launched an online interest form ahead of its Austin Cybercab event, inviting companies to explore buying fleets of its autonomous Cybercab vehicle or building supporting infrastructure such as mobility hubs. The move marks a shift from Tesla's earlier plan to run its robotaxi service entirely in-house.
Tesla held a private, invite-only event in Austin to unveil its Cybercab autonomous vehicle, skipping any public livestream and requiring attendees to sign NDAs and embargo agreements before posting content. The company has registered 45 Cybercabs with Texas regulators, though it's unclear how many will enter commercial service immediately, and launched a companion website outlining rules like a ban on riders under 13. Tesla now operates 256 unsupervised autonomous vehicles across six cities, per Robotaxi Tracker.
Tesla is staging its first public launch of the Cybercab, a driverless two-seat vehicle with no steering wheel or pedals, in Austin on Thursday. Ahead of the event the company registered 420 autonomous vehicles in Texas and deployed dozens of the cars around the city and elsewhere in the US, with executives including Elon Musk hyping the moment on social media.
Elon Musk's super PAC, America PAC, disclosed its first midterm expenditures to the FEC, spending over $800,000 across seven Senate contests and several House races. The largest chunk, more than $247,000, went to Texas to boost Republican Ken Paxton against Democrat James Talarico, with additional funds directed to Maine, Ohio, New Hampshire, Iowa, Michigan and Alaska. The spending, categorized as mail advertising, marks the start of what Musk has reportedly pledged could grow to $120 million in Republican-focused election spending.
Tesla teased its Cybercab robotaxi on X, using the phrase 'no steering wheel, no pedals' ahead of a Thursday event in Austin where it plans to reveal more details. Videos circulated showing the two-seat, butterfly-door vehicles driving on public roads without a driver, while Elon Musk hinted at a broader rollout calling it 'a storm of Cybercabs.'
A 2020 Tesla Model 3 came to a complete stop on Mesa, Arizona's Loop 202 highway around 3 AM on October 31, 2025, before being rear-ended by an F-350 pickup, killing the driver. Electrek matched the crash to a NHTSA filing showing Tesla's Autopilot or Full Self-Driving system was engaged at the time, a detail not disclosed in initial local reports.
Recent robotics showcases—from Tesla's Optimus serving drinks to Unitree robots performing synchronized martial arts and setting a sub-9-second 100-meter sprint record—have fueled public fears that humanoid robots will soon replace human workers. But researchers interviewed say these choreographed demonstrations are misleading indicators of real-world capability, since flashy acrobatics don't translate into the dexterity, adaptability, and reliability needed for everyday labor tasks.
Tesla plans to formally introduce its steering-wheel-free Cybercab at an Austin event, adding 51 of the vehicles to its Texas ride-hail fleet alongside 263 Model Ys. The vehicle debuted as a prototype in 2024, and Tesla's driverless pilot has since expanded from Austin to parts of Texas and Florida, with permits pending in Arizona and Nevada.
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