Tesla started testing a mass version of Cybercab in Austin, Texas, USA. According to the video posted on the X platform, this double vehicle does not have a steering wheel and pedal, and at this stage the right passenger position is still equipped with a security guard.
Quantum is on the way.
It's been almost two years since this test took place. Tesla had previously defined the car as a fully self-propelled Robotaxi and planned to provide call services through his own App. About a year ago, Tesla piloted the Robotaxi service in Austin with Model Y, and some vehicles were also equipped with security guards.
In recent weeks, Tesla has tested the Cybercab prototype in several cities in the United States, but previously the test vehicles usually retained steering and pedals. At the same time, it was also observed that Tesla had concentrated hundreds of associated vehicles in some urban parking areas, and the market was guessing that it was preparing for a larger Robotaxi network.
Regulatory barriers loosed
Last week, the National Road Traffic Safety Administration of the United States disclosed a proposal to remove the requirement that “automated driving” vehicles must be equipped with brake pedals. The proposal is still in the public consultation stage, but the report mentions that the relevant rules are expected to move forward later this year.
If this direction eventually takes shape, it will provide a clearer compliance space for Robotaxi, which does not have traditional driving control components. For Tesla, this means that a real obstacle to Cybercab production and deployment is diminishing.
The route with Waymo
Tesla management has stated on previous occasions that the company had the opportunity to challenge Waymo in the Robotaxi market. One of the core reasons for this is that Tesla masters both car-wide manufacturing and auto-driving software, which is theoretically more affordable. By contrast, Waymo relies on the provision of vehicles in cooperation with the Jaguar, Krypton and others.
The technical routes of the two companies are also different. Tesla wants to rely primarily on cameras for full autopilot, while Waymo uses more sophisticated combinations of sensors, including laser radar and radar.
To date, however, Tesla has not deployed fully self-propelled vehicles on a large scale. Its Austin Robotaxi service had fluctuated in size during the year, and some vehicles had had minor accidents, at least two of which were related to remote operators.
Waymo is also not without problems. Its vehicles had avoided the highways because of inadequate access to the construction areas and had been exposed to deficiencies in heavy rainfall and school bus scenes, triggering recall.
With no wheel, Cybercab on the road, the promotion of the Robotaxi network across Tesla will enter a more focused phase. Whether it's a test of progress or a run-in, the future will be more visible to the outside world than it would have been with Model Y.