Musk launches Cybercabs without steering wheels in Austin
Elon Musk sent dozens of self-driving, wheel-less Cybercabs onto Austin streets in an invitation-only rollout as Tesla prepares broader service launches. The vehicles have no steering wheels or brake pedals and operate without onboard safety drivers in some cities, a step that tests public acceptance and Tesla's camera-only approach versus rivals that use lidar and radar. Tesla trails Waymo in unsupervised robotaxi numbers and faces consumer skepticism and weakened vehicle sales, while investors briefly bid up the stock; Musk plans to distribute full self-driving software to many Teslas if the service scales.
Tesla deployed dozens of Cybercabs without steering wheels or pedals.
Context
Tesla has run robotaxi services with steering wheels and safety drivers previously. Rival Waymo deploys many more unsupervised robotaxis. Tesla may try to expand the service and send full self-driving software to more cars.
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