Tesla announced its engineering team had begun testing on the company’s first production of a Cybercab in Austin, as confirmed in a social media post on Monday, June 29. In the attached video, a two-seat Tesla engineering vehicle traveling along a Texas roadway features a safety monitor and no steering wheel.
Technology media outlet TechCrunch reported on Tuesday, June 30 that not only do the Cybercab prototypes not include a steering wheel, but they also operate sans acceleration or brake pedals. The design feature’s testing debut comes just days after the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration kickstarted rulemaking changes to its requirements for autonomous vehicles “driven exclusively by automated driving systems,” removing a previous mandate that required pedals.
“The move builds on the agency’s effort to safely unleash American innovation and rethink the types of equipment – like windshield wipers or a rearview mirror – vehicles don’t need if a human being will never drive the car,” the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said in the June 25 release.
While the Cybercab operations remain in the testing phase, Texans are able to get a taste of the company’s driverless vehicle services in several key Lone Star metros. Autonomous robotaxi rides, using Tesla’s Model Y vehicles, are available in Austin, Dallas and Houston.
Over on the Austin subreddit, a Cybercab testing post generated more than 500 upvotes and nearly 400 comments, with users divided on their feelings surrounding both the steering wheel-free vehicles and AVs in general.
“What could possibly go wrong?” @zestyclose-ad-5305 wrote, with @___metazeta___ adding: “Hot take, but I feel more comfortable around robot cars than I do with Austin human drivers.”
Other residents shared their personal run-ins with Tesla’s robotaxi operations, including some who said they’ve had close calls with the driverless vehicles in the past.
“Black cybercab in front of Mueller HEB nearly ran me over (and others) earlier in the crosswalk earlier. No driver,” @mesopotato wrote. “This is going to be a disaster.”
And yet, some pointed to the current state of Austin drivers, with @practical-pumpkin-19 quipping: “You know after using [full self-driving] I can confidently say that I would feel much safer riding in a cybercab than the average [Austinite’s] car.”