Tesla prepares for Cybercab demonstration as Musk faces skepticism

Tesla is about to put its money where Elon Musk’s mouth has been for the better part of a decade. The company’s Cybercab, a purpose-built robotaxi with no steering wheel and no pedals, is set for an invite-only launch event on September 3 at Gigafactory Texas in Austin. From prototype to pavement The Cybercab is a compact two-seater that ditches traditional driver controls entirely. No steering wheel, no pedals, just passengers and Tesla’s Full Self-Driving software paired with its AI4 hardware suite doing all the work. Initial production kicked off earlier in 2026, and Tesla began putting Cybercabs on public roads in late June. At least 51 units have been registered in Texas, where they’re joining a fleet of modified Model Y vehicles already operating in Austin’s ride-hailing market. That Austin service launched in mid-2025, giving Tesla a head start on gathering real-world data before the Cybercab’s formal debut. The company has since expanded operations into other parts of Texas and Florida. The prototype itself first appeared on October 10, 2024, at Tesla’s “We, Robot” event. Musk pitched a sub-$30,000 price tag and production before 2027. The skepticism problem Tesla’s autonom...