Tesla launches Cybercab robotaxi in Austin: rides begin September 3

Tesla started Cybercab robotaxi rides in Austin on September 3, 2026. The first version is a two-seat vehicle with no steering wheel and no pedals.

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That Austin debut moves the Cybercab from an October 2024 concept to a real product, and makes it the showpiece for Tesla’s ride service. Tesla says that service has been running since June 2025, mostly with modified Model Ys. The Cybercab is Tesla’s first robotaxi built from scratch for the job, meant for city trips, with a minimalist cabin, no standard driver controls, about 293 miles of range, inductive charging, and a target price below $30,000, though Tesla still hasn’t confirmed that figure. Those details come from Tesla’s earlier specifications.

Records from the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles showed about 45 Tesla Cybercabs registered in early September. So this is still a fairly small rollout, even with Tesla saying its Full Self-Driving fleet has now logged more than 1 million unsupervised miles, meaning miles driven without a safety driver on board.

For anyone who’s been following Tesla’s self-driving push, this launch is one to watch. Riders have praised the way the cars drive. Critics, though, keep pointing to the same problems: the limited fleet, the narrow launch, and Tesla’s long history of missing its own timelines. The lack of mirrors and manual controls has also drawn scrutiny from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, and that could leave Tesla’s expansion in the U.S. depending on exemptions and rule changes as much as on the technology itself.

Tesla says you can ride the Cybercab only in select parts of Austin right now, and for the moment it looks more like a milestone than a true breakthrough.

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