Tesla’s game of Autopilot Full Self-Driving (FSD) is becoming interesting each day.
While CEO Elon Musk and AI Head Ashok Elluswamy shared their experiences with Unsupervised FSD, new photos of the Tesla Cybercab prototype tell a different story.
At least two Cybercab prototypes were spotted being tested in Austin, Texas, yesterday. The interesting thing about these Cybercabs is that they were most likely driven by humans rather than Unsupervised FSD.
Upon looking closely at the side profile pictures of these Cybercab prototypes, we can see a steering wheel and a human driver has his hands on it.
Elon Musk unveiled the Tesla Cybercab last year in a highly anticipated event at the Warner Bros. Studios. Tesla showed these electric vehicles without a steering wheel or a driver at the unveiling event. Seeing them driven by humans in the latest sighting is both oddly surprising and interesting at the same time.
After more than a year of its reveal, Tesla is still testing the vehicle, mostly at Giga Texas and in the streets of Austin, TX. Tesla initially made several prototypes of the Cybercab robotaxi. The automaker is most probably still using the same prototypes for testing.
The decals on the door say, “Cybercab Tesla Engineering Prototype | V_001” and in smaller text on the right, “Tesla Cybercab, Zero Emissions”.
Another Tesla enthusiast spotted a Robotaxi prototype and filmed it from behind as he approached the Congress Avenue intersection, Austin, Texas. Looking at it in real life, the vehicle looks much smaller than expected (video below).
Tesla Cybercab is built on a smaller two-seat platform. According to the car teardown expert Sandy Munro, this platform is also going to be used for the more affordable Tesla Model 2 EV.
These new photos suggest that the Cybercab does have the option to install a steering wheel. Sandy Munro’s prediction was right, that Tesla is also going to use the same platform for the mass production of the Model 2 car.
Currently, for the Tesla Robotaxi service, the automaker is using the new Model Y Juniper midsize SUV. Since the Juniper Model Y is equipped with the latest tech hardware and has a reasonable size and shape that suits Tesla’s Full Self-Driving AI Vision, it’s being used as a Robotaxi.
At the 2025 Shareholder Meeting, Tesla CEO Elon Musk confirmed that the production of the Cybercab vehicle will begin at Giga Texas in the 2nd quarter of 2026.
It’s going to be very interesting to see if Tesla just launches the Cybercab’s robotaxi version (without steering) or if it simultaneously launches the smaller, most affordable Tesla Model 2 EV.
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Related Robotaxi News
- Tesla Cybercab first impressions: interior space, charge port, improved FSD cameras, ambient lighting, more
- Tesla sends Cybercab robotaxis from Giga Texas to testing locations across the US
- Tesla challenges UniBev’s squatting of the ‘Cybercab’ trademark with the USPTO
- Musk promises a $30K or less Cybercab delivery before 2027, Tesla (TSLA) produces the first unit at Giga Texas
- Tesla files for additional trademarks for the Cybercab in some US states: Cybercar, Cybervehicle, Robotaxi
- Tesla Cybercab butterfly door function spotted in the wild (video)
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Also these have side mirrors in the video. Why the odd subtle different colour for the center of the rear hatch compared to the edges? Is that a tinted glass on the rear hatch?
Also in the close-up of the back window in the Austin video, it looks like you can make out the inside of the door pillar seen through the rear hatch, suggesting it is a tinted glass rear window.