Tesla's Cybercab debut in Austin arrives with unusual restraint
Tesla held a closed-door event in Austin, Texas to officially launch its driverless Cybercab, though without a livestream and with a limited, mostly pro-Tesla guest list. The company has 45 Cybercabs registered in Texas, but it remains unclear how many will enter full commercial service soon.
Tesla held a private event in Austin, Texas on Tuesday to officially unveil its long-anticipated Cybercab, but the launch was notably subdued. There was no livestream, and the guest list consisted mainly of pro-Tesla influencers, who were required to sign a non-disclosure agreement and hold off posting content until after the event ended. Some uninvited Tesla supporters on social media expressed frustration at being left out.
According to the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles, Tesla has 45 Cybercab vehicles registered as of this week, though it's unclear how many will immediately enter commercial service. Several vehicles were handed to influencers for content creation. Tesla also launched a new website for its Robotaxi service outlining riding rules — for instance, children under 13 are currently not permitted to ride in the Cybercab.
With the addition of the Cybercabs, Tesla now operates 256 unsupervised autonomous vehicles across six cities, according to tracking data. By comparison, Waymo runs roughly 4,000 vehicles across 14 cities.
Unanswered questions
It remains unclear when the Cybercab will be available for individual purchase. Two years ago, Musk suggested a price as low as $30,000, but no sale date has been announced. Tesla has introduced a new form for parties interested in buying fleets or building supporting infrastructure.
The Cybercab is a two-seat sedan with gullwing doors, eight cameras, and no steering wheel, pedals, mirrors, radar, or lidar. It is Tesla's lightest and most efficient vehicle to date, powered by a 219-horsepower motor and 48kWh battery, weighing about 700 pounds less than the lightest Model 3.
Musk has repeatedly promised rapid expansion of driverless vehicles, only to miss those targets — he once claimed half of the US population would have robotaxi access by the end of 2025, though the service currently operates in just six cities in Texas and Florida. The company also faces lawsuits alleging it misled the public about its self-driving capabilities.
