SAN FRANCISCO, Sept 2 (Reuters) – Tesla is set to hold an event for its purpose-built robotaxi Cybercab in Austin, Texas, on Thursday, amid much fanfare, as well as questions about regulatory hurdles and safety of the technology.
Here are some details:
• The Cybercab is a two-seater with butterfly doors and no steering wheel or pedals and is Tesla’s first vehicle designed purely for autonomy. Some test versions on U.S. streets have been spotted with steering wheels.
• The vehicle was unveiled about two years ago at Warner Bros studio and is expected to be added to Tesla’s nascent robotaxi fleet. CEO Elon Musk said it would eventually be available for $30,000. He has described self-driving technology as one of the keys to Tesla’s future business.
• Tesla offered riders of its current robotaxi fleet based on its Model Y a chance to join a “Cybercab Launch Event”, but it has given no details about what kind of launch is planned. Tesla has been marketing the event as “Exclusive Access: Cybercab” in posts on X and has sent out invites to select guests, according to some user posts.
• Tesla has not announced a time for the event. Tesla usually livestreams major events, but it has not officially confirmed whether it will do so on Thursday.
• Tesla started producing some Cybercabs in April and has been testing the vehicle on public roads.
• The Information reported last month that Tesla told staff it plans to begin the rollout by offering rides to its employees on public roads and then incorporate Cybercabs into its robotaxi service in Austin a few days later.
• Tesla has not said whether it has received regulatory approval or if it has determined it complies with federal safety norms to operate the service commercially.
• Tesla’s so-called Full Self-Driving (FSD) technology that requires constant human supervision has faced multiple federal investigations and lawsuits following collisions and traffic violations. A version of FSD that does not require supervision runs Cybercabs.
• Tesla has said FSD is already up to 10 times safer than human drivers.
(Reporting by Abhirup Roy in San Francisco; Editing by Peter Henderson and Jamie Freed)
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