Musk Launches Cybercab Taxis Without Steering Wheels, Brake Pedals

NEW YORK: Controversial billionaire Elon Musk launched dozens of self-driving Cybercabs without steering wheels and brake pedals onto the roads in Austin, Texas, in the United States (US) on Thursday.

The move was made to see whether Americans are ready to ride in cars that cannot be manually controlled in an emergency.

Tesla plans to introduce the Cybercab service in several other cities. Tesla’s shares also rose more than five percent, driven by confidence that the futuristic taxi will gain traction.

Musk’s electric vehicle (EV) company also promoted the Cybercab with the slogan ‘no steering wheel, no pedals’ on platform X.

However, Tesla still lags far behind Waymo in terms of the number of self-driving taxis and trips completed.

Tesla also needs to prove that its self-driving system, which relies solely on cameras, is capable of operating safely and avoiding pedestrians.

Waymo and Zoox, meanwhile, use cameras alongside radar and laser technology known as lidar.

Although its technology is guaranteed to function well, Tesla still needs to convince Americans to use driverless cars.

According to a Pew Research Center survey in February, seven out of 10 adults in the US are uncomfortable riding in driverless cars.

It is understood that Austin has had a self-driving Tesla ‘robotaxi’ service since June 2025, but those cars were still equipped with steering wheels and brake pedals.

The service has since been expanded to five other cities in Texas and Florida. In the early stages, passengers were accompanied by safety drivers who could take over control if any issues arose.

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