Tesla put driverless Cybercabs on public streets in Austin and named the next five metros. The robotaxi race just turned into a land grab.
Tesla launched its purpose-built two-seat Cybercab in Austin, and clips shared on X show the cars moving through public streets with no one behind the wheel. The debut came at an invite-only event that surprised fans expecting a public rollout. Pricing and public-ride availability were held back for a follow-up event. Independent ride data is not yet out, so range and safety numbers remain Tesla's own.
Tesla says months of behind-the-scenes permitting work is underway to launch in the five new regions. No firm launch dates were given. Current driverless-passenger service remains Austin and the San Francisco Bay Area.
Tesla plans to move Austin to fully driverless service with no onboard operators before year-end, though the removal may be limited to parts of the geofence at first. Musk put the end-of-year fleet at roughly 1,500 vehicles.
Coverage of the launch stressed that Tesla remains behind Waymo on driverless miles and paid public rides, in a business no operator has yet shown to be profitable. Treat the launch as a capability milestone, not a revenue one.
Waymo opened driverless service in three more metros, including its first in Colorado. Amazon's Zoox began on-road testing in Houston and San Diego with human safety drivers aboard.