Tesla Teases 45 Cybercabs in Texas Ahead of Austin Robotaxi Event
Updated
Updated · CNBC · Sep 3
Tesla Teases 45 Cybercabs in Texas Ahead of Austin Robotaxi Event
3 articles · Updated · CNBC · Sep 3
Summary
Videos posted Wednesday showed Cybercab vehicles moving on Austin streets with no visible driver or steering wheel, days before Tesla is expected to detail the robotaxi program.
Texas records listed 45 Cybercabs authorized for driverless operation and 420 total driverless-authorized Tesla vehicles in the state as of Wednesday night, suggesting a limited initial rollout.
Tesla is trying to narrow Waymo's early lead: Waymo runs commercial robotaxis in 14 U.S. cities with about 4,000 driverless vehicles, while Tesla's broader fleet remains small and geofenced.
Investors are watching Thursday's event closely after Tesla shares fell about 21% this year; Morgan Stanley said a meaningful unsupervised rollout could revive momentum, while a weak update may hurt the stock.
The push comes as Tesla still sells only FSD Supervised to consumers and faces at least two NHTSA probes into possible safety defects in its partially automated driving systems.