Tesla (TSLA) opened the Cybercab Robotaxi Service in Austin, Texas, yesterday. Although the launch event was held on Thursday, September 3, the rides were available only to event visitors and employees.
Tesla Cybercab’s Austin launch was originally intended for June 2025, but unexpected delays pushed it to September 2026.
At first, Tesla announced that public rides would be available the next day after launch (September 4) at 5 PM Central Time. However, due to high anticipation from potential customers, Tesla reduced the time by 3 hours and added Cybercab to the Robotaxi mobile app at 2 PM CT.
Interestingly, the Tesla Robotaxi app suddenly rose to the top of the download charts within hours of the launch. Yesterday it reached #1 on the App Store in the Travel category (free apps).
One of my old-time Tesla Community friends, @Kristenetten, was invited to the Cybercab launch event. According to her, the event was primarily aimed at employees as a token of appreciation for their efforts.
Ahead of the event, she took this stunning photo of the demo ride fleet outside the Cybercab launch location, i.e., ACL Live (Austin City Limits Live at The Moody Theater) in downtown Austin, Texas
Only a handful of Tesla influencers were invited to cover the Cybercab public launch event. Although these people were allowed to bring a plus-one to the event, they weren’t permitted to bring along another content creator.
Cybercab Launch Presentation (video)
The Cybercab launch presentation was different compared to other Tesla events. The company’s CEO, Elon Musk, was not present at the event.
Actually, it wasn’t a product launch on September 3. Musk gave the presentation for the Cybercab (then called Robotaxi) launch at the We, Robot event at the Warner Bros. Studio on October 10, 2024.
Cybercab’s Austin, Texas, launch was presented by four members from the software, AI, and manufacturing sides. Tesla’s VP of AI, Ashok Elluswamy, and Cybercab Lead Engineer, Eric Earley, are better known in the Tesla Community.
As the event was localized in Austin and, as we mentioned above, aimed mainly at employees, Tesla did not go live on air.
However, influencers like Sawyer Merritt and David Moss recorded the presentation (watch below).
Tesla Cybercab does not have a steering wheel or any pedals. It’s Tesla’s first vehicle that uses brake-by-wire technology.
According to the Tesla team, the Cybercab is designed with the future in mind. Riding in a Tesla Cybercab gives its users the freedom to work, use entertainment features, take a nap, or just sit and relax while commuting to their destination.
Ashok pressed that Tesla’s autonomous vehicle design is not built around radars, lidars, and a suite of sensors. Tesla is working to solve the intelligence problem (AI).
To be truly autonomous, a vehicle should be intelligent enough to understand its environment, predict the future, and act accordingly to ensure safety, Ashok explained.
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Related Tesla Cybercab News
- Tesla Robotaxi and Cybercab fleet in Texas surpasses the 500 mark (420 + 126)
- Large number of Tesla Cybercab robotaxis spotted in Houston, hinting at a launch soon
- First responder training and feedback enhance Tesla Cybercab crash and fire safety
- Tesla Cybercab is the most cost-efficient vehicle to produce, competition doesn’t stand a chance
- High demand for Tesla Cybercab makes it more expensive than Uber and the Model Y Robotaxi
- Tesla (TSLA) opens Cybercabs to the public in Austin, Texas, Robotaxi app tops the charts, more
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