Yesterday’s event in Austin was unusual for Tesla: there was no livestream, no press representatives were invited, and CEO Elon Musk was reportedly not in attendance. Instead, only regular customers and a few tech influencers were present, and their accounts now form the basis for reporting on the event.
The focus of the event in the southern US was the Cybercab, which Tesla unveiled in Hollywood in October 2024. The Cybercab is a fully electric two-seater—its gullwing doors provide access to a relatively compact interior, with a solid partition wall behind the two seats. Pre-series production began in February 2026, followed by series production in April at Giga Texas, also located in Austin.
Booking via Robotaxi app
With the launch event, Tesla has opened the Cybercab to public use – and these first series-produced Cybercabs are set to enter regular service on Austin’s streets. In the Texan city, Cybercab rides can now be booked via Tesla’s dedicated Robotaxi app. Tesla has already been offering autonomous robotaxi rides in Austin, Dallas, Houston, Miami, Orlando and Tampa—but until now, only converted Tesla Model Y units were used, not the Cybercab itself.
However, neither the Model Ys nor the Cybercab currently operate fully autonomously. For example, the Model Ys in Austin were initially driven with a safety driver on board until Tesla moved the emergency controls to accompanying vehicles, creating the impression of a fully autonomous ride for passengers. Additionally, like competitors Waymo and Zoox, Tesla must operate a command centre for its robotaxis, from which staff can remotely intervene if the software struggles with certain driving situations or makes errors.
