No Steering Wheel, No Pedals on Tesla’s Imminent Robotaxi Update

Tesla has teased details of its long-awaited Cybercab robotaxi ahead of an invitation-only event in Austin, Texas, on Thursday, as investors look for signs that the electric vehicle maker can scale its driverless technology.

In posts on social media platform X, Tesla posted “no steering wheel, no pedals” and urged users to “try it out” in Austin. Chief Executive Elon Musk added in a pinned post: “A storm of Cybercabs.”

The comments come nearly two years after the automaker first unveiled the vehicle design in October 2024. Designed as a driverless two-seater with butterfly doors, the Cybercab is built without traditional controls like pedals or a steering wheel.

Tesla has been testing versions of the purpose-built robotaxi with safety drivers and conventional controls in several U.S. markets. On Wednesday, videos shared on X by New Street Research analyst Pierre Ferragu and Tesla supporters showed Cybercab vehicles operating on public roads in Austin without a driver or steering wheel onboard.

Bullish investors are betting the company will use the event to launch a wider rollout in U.S. cities as it tries to cut into the dominant position of Alphabet-owned Waymo.

Musk has promised investors since at least 2016 that a fully autonomous Tesla capable of a coast-to-coast drive without human intervention was near, a goal the company has yet to realize.

Tesla currently sells a driver-assist product called FSD, short for Full Self-Driving (Supervised), which requires human drivers to remain attentive and ready to take control at any time.

An independent Tesla tracker estimates the company has just over 200 vehicles registered as “unsupervised” in its U.S. fleet, capable of running without human drivers in specific, geofenced areas. Those vehicles have logged trips in Austin, Dallas, Houston, Miami, Orlando, and Tampa, Florida, according to the tracker.

The company also operates an FSD (Supervised) Rideshare service in the San Francisco area. That fleet utilizes newer Model Y vehicles operated by Tesla employees using an unreleased software version, with rides hailed via a Tesla Robotaxi-branded app.

By comparison, Waymo currently operates commercial driverless services across 14 U.S. cities with a fleet of approximately 4,000 vehicles, alongside testing in other markets.

According to public records from the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles, Tesla had 45 Cybercab vehicles authorized for driverless operations in the state out of 420 total driverless vehicles registered as of Wednesday night.

In a note to clients, Morgan Stanley analysts said Tesla’s stock could “regain momentum” if the Thursday update “includes a meaningful rollout of unsupervised” vehicles.
“Continued growth in the unsupervised fleet (Cybercab or Model Y) is key for the stock to outperform through year-end,” the analysts wrote.

Morgan Stanley holds a $400 price target on the stock with the equivalent of a hold rating. Shares of Tesla are down roughly 21% year-to-date as of Wednesday’s close.

The vehicle update arrives as the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) conducts at least two active investigations into possible safety defects in Tesla’s partially automated driving systems.

Tesla has also drawn criticism for requesting that NHTSA redact broader portions of its crash report data than competing autonomous vehicle firms.

Stay ahead of the Stories shaping our world. Subscribe to Impact Newswire and join our 
WhatsApp Channel for updates on global tech, business, and innovation—all in one place.

Dive deeper into the future with the Cause Effect 4.0 Podcast, where we explore the ideas, trends, and technologies driving the global AI conversation.

Got a story to share? Contact Us to reach a global audience with Impact Newswire.