Particle.news
Download on the App Store

Tesla Signals Openness to Steering Wheel for Cybercab as Public-Road Tests Begin

Large-scale U.S. sales require compliance beyond the 2,500-unit exemption for steering‑wheel‑less vehicles.

Overview

  • Tesla board chair Robyn Denholm told Bloomberg the Cybercab could be sold with a steering wheel and pedals if required by regulators or to reach volume.
  • The Cybercab was spotted testing on public roads near Tesla’s engineering hub in Los Altos, California, with a driver present, marking a new phase of validation.
  • Tesla still targets volume production in the second quarter of 2026 and is staffing Gigafactory Texas with new roles tied to Cybercab manufacturing.
  • Current federal rules under NHTSA’s Part 555 allow only 2,500 passenger vehicles per year without traditional controls, constraining a wheel‑less rollout.
  • Reporting notes Tesla’s Full Self‑Driving remains supervised in practice and existing robotaxi pilots use safety monitors, underscoring uncertainty around unsupervised deployment.