Tesla says it has started engineering tests of its first production Cybercab on public roads in Austin, marking the first time a customer-spec unit of the purpose-built robotaxi has been validated outside the factory.
But a video shared by the company shows the two-seater driving with a supervisor sitting in the front passenger seat — a reminder that the car still isn’t operating on its own in Tesla’s paid service.
What Tesla actually showed
In a post on X early Monday, Tesla announced that “engineering tests of the first production Cybercab have begun in Austin.” The clip shows the vehicle navigating city streets with no one in the driver’s position — which is unavoidable, since the Cybercab is built without a steering wheel or pedals — while a person rides in the passenger seat.
That framing matters. These are “engineering tests,” not driverless customer rides, and a human is still aboard the vehicle during the runs. Tesla describes the person in the front seat as a “safety monitor.”
