Tesla has begun offering public rides in Austin for the company’s Cybercab, marking the first time the two-seat completely autonomous robotaxi has carried paying customers rather than employees or invited testers. The rollout covers the same service area in Austin already used by Tesla’s Model Y robotaxi fleet.

The rollout caused some consternation on X as people waited – showing over 2 million views as of Thursday evening – for a live Tesla event stream. That live general-public-accessible stream never happened. The event was described as an “ exclusive Cybercab launch…No public livestream is available " – though video and details are expected to be released directly from Tesla.

First “Public” Cybercab Ride With Advanced FSD

One of the first public rides described the steering-wheel-less and pedal-less Cybercab as having smooth FSD performance, according to Tesla commentator Sawyer Merritt , who attended the event and took a ride in the Cybercab. Full Self-Driving, or FSD, is Tesla’s subscription-based autonomous vehicle technology. The FSD used in Cybercab is a more advanced version of FSD than that offered in its Model 3, Model Y, and Cybertruck. Rides are available in Tesla’s Austin service area (same as the Model Y Robotaxi).

As of September 3, there are only 45 Cybercabs authorized for commercial robotaxi use in Texas. Tesla CEO Elon Musk first unveiled Cybercab in October 2024 promising volume production “before 2027." He separately promised unsupervised Model 3/Y FSD/robotaxi rides in 2025, at Tesla’s Q4 2024 earnings call in January 2025. Public Cybercab rides didn’t start until this month, and even now they’re geofenced to Austin only, not the broad multi-city rollout originally implied.

There is a Robotaxi Network sign-up page that states: “Help Us Build Our Robotaxi Network” that asks you to complete an “interest form” to be considered for future Robotaxi opportunities.

What Cybercab Riders Will Experience

Tesla’s newly published rider and compliance guides offer details (see bottom of page) on things like legroom and storage capacity. The cabin offers 43.4 inches of legroom, a bit bigger than the maximum legroom offered in the Model Y at 41.8 inches. The rear trunk holds 20.2 cubic feet (572 liters) and up to 220 pounds, enough for two checked bags and two carry-ons, one large folded stroller, or one small folded wheelchair.

Safety and monitoring systems are, not surprisingly, extensive for a vehicle with no driver. Nine cameras cover the exterior and cabin, and a radar sensor built into the ceiling can tell whether a seat is empty, holds a child seat, or holds an adult, and automatically switches that seat’s airbags on or off accordingly. Both doors retain mechanical releases that work without electrical power.

Smaller touches round out the published Tesla guide: a color-coded front lightbar tells riders which vehicle is theirs via the Robotaxi app, the interface runs on Epic Games’ Unreal Engine; each seat has independent airflow and USB-C charging, and the touchscreen shows a green indicator whenever the cabin camera is active. Tesla says any personal media-account data is wiped from the vehicle at the end of a trip.

Cybercab Hardware Details

Tesla has also released engineering specifics on two of Cybercab’s core systems. The motor that drives the wheels uses a redesigned internal winding paired with a simpler cooling and lubrication setup. Tesla says the result is a design that can be built quickly and efficiently.

The oft-cited “under $30K” price for a Cybercab was not addressed. That comes from Musk’s stage remarks in 2024. Two years later, there’s still no confirmed consumer MSRP.

Sources for some of the information discussed above can be found here and here on Tesla’s website.