Elon Musk launches steering-wheel-free Tesla – Business News
Elon Musk despatched dozens of self-driving Cybercabs with out steering wheels or brake pedals onto the streets of Austin, Texas, on Thursday, betting that Americans will overcome their fears of rides with “no control” and hop inside.
The rollout of the gold-colored Teslas, which give passengers no option to take control in an emergency, comes because the company prepares to launch the service in different cities. Tesla shares have suffered amid a hunch in vehicle gross sales, however they rose more than 5% Thursday on hopes that the futuristic-looking taxis will catch on rapidly.
“No steering wheel, no pedals,” Tesla teased on X earlier than the launch. Musk adopted with a post exhibiting a giant Cybercab floating above the Austin skyline and later wrote, “A Storm of Cybercabs.”
Elon Musk despatched dozens of self-driving Cybercabs with out steering wheels or brake pedals onto the streets of Austin, Texas, on Thursday. AP Photo/Eric Gay
An invitation-only launch occasion was anticipated to be held later Thursday.
It is unclear how quickly Musk intends to roll out the Cybercab service, however he wants to maneuver rapidly.
Tesla trails self-driving taxi chief Waymo within the quantity of cabs deployed and journeys accomplished. To catch up, it should show that its camera-only system can safely navigate streets and keep away from pedestrians. By distinction, Waymo and one other rival, Amazon’s Zoox, complement cameras with radar and a laser-based technology referred to as lidar.
Even if the technology works properly, Americans nonetheless need to be satisfied.
A Pew Research Center survey carried out in February discovered that seven in 10 US adults had been “not too” or “not at all” comfy using in a driverless car.
Tesla stock was battered final 12 months after Musk took over President Trump’s authorities cost-cutting marketing campaign, dubbed DOGE, and embraced extreme-right political candidates, sparking protests at Tesla showrooms and boycotts by car patrons in a number of nations.
The rollout of the gold-colored Teslas, which give passengers no option to take control in an emergency, comes because the company prepares to launch the service in different cities. REUTERS
Tesla shares have suffered amid a hunch in vehicle gross sales, however they rose more than 5% Thursday on hopes that the futuristic-looking taxis will catch on rapidly. REUTERS
Tesla posted a second consecutive annual decline in vehicle gross sales final 12 months. Its income plunged, and it misplaced its crown because the world’s best-selling electric vehicle maker to China’s BYD.
Austin has had a self-driving Tesla “robotaxi” service since June final 12 months, however these automobiles are outfitted with steering wheels and brake pedals. The service, which has since expanded to 5 different cities in Texas and Florida, initially carried passengers with security drivers aboard to take over in case of issues.
It is unclear how quickly Musk intends to roll out the Cybercab service. AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein
Tesla has more than 200 “unsupervised” robotaxis in these cities, which means they operate with out security drivers aboard, based on the monitoring web site RobotaxiTracker. Waymo has more than 4,000 such automobiles in 14 cities.
In the Pew survey, 16% of adults stated they’d be “somewhat” comfy using in a driverless car, whereas 7% stated they’d be “extremely” or “very” comfy.
Separate Gallup polling carried out in 2025 discovered that skepticism in regards to the security of driverless automobiles had risen over the earlier a number of years. More Americans stated all or largely human-operated automobiles had been the most secure option than in a 2018 ballot.
Tesla has more than 200 “unsupervised” robotaxis in these cities, which means they operate with out security drivers aboard, based on the monitoring web site RobotaxiTracker. Waymo has more than 4,000 such automobiles in 14 cities. REUTERS
It is unclear whether or not Musk is the proper particular person to coax people into automobiles with no human controls. Another Pew ballot carried out in January discovered that almost six in 10 adults had a “very” or “mostly” unfavorable view of him.
Musk finally hopes to ship full self-driving software program to a whole bunch of 1000’s of Teslas by a software program replace. That would enable Tesla house owners to show their automobiles into taxis for rent when they don’t seem to be utilizing them.
