- Tesla is carrying public riders in Austin in a car with no steering wheel or pedals.
- NHTSA is evaluating the operation, and federal caps limit how fast the Cybercab can scale.
- Cybercabs have turned up near Miami and outside Philadelphia, where Tesla runs no Robotaxi service.
Tesla began offering rides to the public in its two-seater Cybercab in parts of Austin, Texas, on Thursday. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is evaluating the rollout, as the vehicle lacks a steering wheel, pedals, or mirrors, all features that federal standards typically require.
Tesla promoted the Thursday rollout for weeks as an exclusive Cybercab launch event, drawing investors and fans to Austin, but, according to attendees, Tesla CEO Elon Musk skipped the event.
What Tesla launched in Austin
According to an update to Tesla’s robotaxi website, rides are available only in some parts of Austin. The company did not say when it would begin charging fares. Executives at the event described plans for dynamic pricing that rises with demand, while promising “a first-class experience at coach price.”
Texas records showed 45 Cybercabs among the 420 autonomous vehicles Tesla has registered in the state. Waymo, the current U.S. leader in driverless ride-hailing, has 988 registered in Texas. Musk has promised imminent driverless Teslas for years, including at a Cybercab unveiling in October 2024 at a Los Angeles-area movie studio. The rollout has fallen short of those targets, and analysts have flagged slower-than-expected growth in recent months.
Safety regulators taking notice
Federal safety standards typically require human controls, and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration signaled its interest in the Austin operation. “NHTSA is in contact with Tesla and is evaluating the situation,” a spokesperson told Reuters, declining to elaborate.
The agency has looked at the Austin service before, with NHTSA opening an inquiry in June 2025 after videos surfaced during the pilot showing robotaxis driving in the wrong lane and speeding. Additionally, federal regulations limit the number of vehicles a manufacturer can sell without a steering wheel and pedals. Established manufacturers can deploy an unlimited number of those vehicles for testing.
Cybercabs turning up outside Texas
As Tesla officially launched the Cybercab in Austin, groups of the vehicles have been spotted in other cities. More than 20 were parked near Miami International Airport on Wednesday night, in images posted to X by Tesla investor Sawyer Merritt. Tesla has run Robotaxi service in the Miami area for months using Model Y units.
A second group of Cybercabs was spotted near Tesla’s Devon, Pennsylvania, showroom outside Philadelphia, according to images posted to X by Billy Kyle. Tesla does not operate a Robotaxi service area anywhere in Pennsylvania, but several Cybercab units have been running around the Philadelphia metro area anyway. Commercial driverless operation in the state requires a certificate of compliance from the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. Act 130 of 2022 made PennDOT the sole regulator of highly automated vehicles in the commonwealth.
