Tesla Cybercab starts public-road testing in Austin

Tesla has begun engineering tests of its first production Cybercab on public roads in Austin, Texas. The two‑seat vehicle is built without a steering wheel or pedals and is intended to operate as a Level 4 robotaxi. A safety monitor rides in the passenger seat during the trials, which are supervised but otherwise fully autonomous.

Production of the Cybercab started at Gigafactory Texas, with the first unit rolling off the line on 17 February 2026 and serial production ramping up in April. Tesla aims to eventually manufacture up to two million units a year across multiple factories, positioning the Cybercab as the core of a large‑scale driverless taxi fleet. The company’s approach relies on camera‑based AI rather than the lidar and radar suite used by competitors such as Waymo.

Regulatory developments are shaping the rollout: the U.S. NHTSA has proposed eliminating the brake‑pedal requirement for vehicles designed exclusively for autonomous operation, and Texas has granted permission for the current tests. Federal law still mandates a steering wheel, though an exemption could be granted for up to 2 500 vehicles per manufacturer per year. Tesla’s testing follows earlier robotaxi services in Austin that used modified Model Y SUVs with disabled controls.