Tesla starts testing its production Cybercab without steering wheel or pedals in Austin

A gold-colored car with no steering wheel and no pedals is now navigating public streets in Austin, Texas. That is Tesla's production Cybercab, and it represents the most concrete step yet in the company's long-promised robotaxi ambitions.

Tesla has been running a robotaxi service in Austin since mid-2025 using modified Model Y SUVs. But the Cybercab is purpose-built, cheaper to produce, and designed to take on Waymo, which currently has 577 robotaxis registered in Texas compared to Tesla's 42.

The timing got a boost from Washington. Federal regulators recently proposed eliminating the requirement for brake pedals in fully automated vehicles, removing one of the last major regulatory hurdles.

Still, neither company has been glitch-free. Tesla reported 17 incidents in its Austin fleet over roughly nine months. Waymo has issued six recalls.

Now, with a vehicle that looks unmistakably like the future, every fender-bender will be front-page news, and every smooth ride will be impossible to ignore.