Golden Tesla Driverless Taxi Without Steering Wheel or Pedals…Musk 'Cybercab Storm'

Golden Tesla Driverless Taxi Without Steering Wheel or Pedals…Musk 'Cybercab Storm'

Private event for Cybercab launch, two years after the prototype was unveiled.

There is no steering wheel, no pedals. Tesla's autonomous robotaxi (driverless taxi) dedicated vehicle, the 'Cybercab', with a golden exterior and 'scissor doors' that open like wings, is expected to be unveiled.

AFP and Reuters reported that Tesla will hold a Cybercab launch event on the 3rd (local time) in Austin, Texas, USA, where its headquarters are located.

This comes about two years after Tesla unveiled a prototype at the 'We, Robot' event held at Warner Bros. film studios in Burbank, LA, in 2024.

Elon Musk, CEO, raised expectations by posting a short phrase 'Cybercab storm' and an image of a Cybercab appearing amidst a sandstorm in Austin on X (formerly Twitter).

This event is a private event, inviting only Tesla fans, existing robotaxi passengers, and influencers, and the specific announcements are not yet known.

However, considering that Tesla began Cybercab production in April and has recently been conducting test drives on public roads, it is expected to officially utilize Cybercabs for its robotaxi service soon.

Andrew Perkoco, a Morgan Stanley analyst, predicted that 'if this event is merely a limited unveiling, the stock price will fall, but if it leads to a widespread deployment that significantly impacts the scale of Tesla's robotaxi operations, it could excite investors.'

While Tesla positions robotaxis as one of its key future industries, in the field of autonomous driverless taxis, it appears to be lagging behind Waymo, Alphabet's subsidiary.

Waymo currently provides services in 11 cities in the US and has officially announced plans to expand into Munich, Germany.

Tesla launched its robotaxi service in Austin last year and is expanding its service areas to Florida and California.

Another point of interest is how it will navigate strict regulations from authorities, given the absence of a steering wheel and pedals. Waymo, on the other hand, retains all conventional features like a steering wheel, pedals, and side mirrors, just like regular vehicles.

Amazon's 'Zoox', instead of having such devices (steering wheel, pedals), received federal government approval for an exemption last July.

As of yet, Tesla is not known to have applied for an exemption with the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).