On September 3rd (local time), electric car company Tesla just announced the launch of a self-driving taxi robot called "Cybercab" in Texas (USA).
First introduced in October 2024, this yellow car does not have pedals or steering wheel. With a capacity of two passengers, Cybercab is designed specifically for driverless taxi services.
Billionaire Elon Musk posted on social network X images of a Cybercab standing tall on the background of Austin city, the capital of Texas and also the location of Tesla's headquarters, followed by a cloud of dust. Mr. Musk predicted a "Cybercab storm" in Austin, where Tesla held a private launch event at an entertainment venue, not open to the press.
Before the event, Cybercabs appeared on the streets of Austin and passengers can now choose this new vehicle on the specialized application just updated by Tesla. According to US media, the event guests are the first to experience unmanned Cybercabs, before the service opens to the public.
Posts on social networks show that many fans attended the event in gold-gold outfits in harmony with the car. Tesla promotes the safety and convenience of vehicles for people with disabilities, affirming that Cybercab is "democratizing clean traffic for everyone".
Last year, Tesla put self-driving cars into operation in Austin using the Model Y SUV model, with the "Robotaxi" service gradually expanding to many other cities in Texas, Florida and California. Laws in many states still require most of these cars to have a supervisor or driver ready to take over when needed.
Waymo, a subsidiary specializing in self-driving cars of Alphabet - Google's parent company - currently provides services in 11 cities in the US. According to FSD Database based on data from the Texas Department of Transportation, Tesla has registered 314 taxi robots in this state, including 45 Cybercabs.
Texas possesses a favorable legal framework for self-driving vehicles, becoming one of the preferred test sites for many already operating services such as Waymo and Zoox, or testing such as Motional.
