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- Sep 3, 202690% CONFIDENCEfrom the source
Tesla's Cybercab Starts Robotaxi Rides in Austin
- Tesla held an invitation-only launch for the Cybercab at ACL Live in downtown Austin on Thursday, 3 September 2026, due to start at 4:45 p.m.; traditional media were not invited and the event was not streamed publicly[1][3][5]
- Invited guests took the first driverless Cybercab rides from outside the venue that evening, and Tesla said members of the public could hail one from 5 p.m. Central Time on Friday, 4 September[1][3]
- NHTSA records that Tesla began offering commercial service in its Cybercab vehicles on 3 September 2026[2]
- Rides are booked in Tesla's Robotaxi app, which now lets riders choose a Cybercab or a Model Y, and run only in a limited area of Austin[1][5]
- 45 Cybercabs are registered to Tesla's robotaxi fleet in Texas, alongside about 375 Robotaxi-branded Model Ys[1][3]
- Elon Musk made no public remarks and, by InsideEVs' account, did not attend[3][4]
- Children under 13 may not ride in a Cybercab[1][3]
- Tesla had confirmed the date in August and invited selected riders and fans, some through a sweepstakes for recent Robotaxi riders[6]
- Tesla shares rose more than 5% in regular trading before the event, then fell about 3% after hours[1]
Notable features
- Two-seat robotaxi with no steering wheel or pedals, driven entirely by Tesla's Full Self-Driving software on its AI4 computer[3][6]
- Navigates with cameras only: eight exterior cameras, plus a cabin camera and cabin radar[3]
- 219 hp front-mounted motor and a 48 kWh battery pack, per EPA filings; curb weight 3,113 lb and a drag coefficient under 0.2[3]
- 20.2 cu ft trunk with a 220 lb (100 kg) limit, enough for two checked bags and two carry-ons[3]
- Brakes use electric actuators at the calipers instead of hydraulics, and the body is unpainted, with its colour moulded in[3]
- Gull-wing doors that open automatically as the rider approaches[1][3]
References 686% CONFIDENCE
The first entry is always the pin's source. Overall confidence is a weighted average of how firmly each reference supports the start and end times used above; a reference counts half as much for every 180 days older than the newest.
- [1]90%statesman.com/business/article/tesla-cybercab-austin-launch-live-updates-22414898.phpstatesman.com· Posted Sep 23, 2026· Starts Sep 3, 2026 ✓· 18% of score
The Statesman's live updates describe attendees arriving "for the scheduled 4:45 p.m. start of the launch event" on Thursday, Sept. 3, 2026 (21:45 UTC), and NHTSA[2] states Tesla "began offering commercial service in its Cybercab vehicles on September 3, 2026".
- [2]95%Special Order Directed to Tesla, Inc. - AQ26002 Tesla Cybercab FMVSS Certificationstatic.nhtsa.gov· Published Sep 10, 2026· 17% of score
NHTSA's own special order states that "Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) began offering commercial service in its Cybercab vehicles on September 3, 2026"; an official federal filing.
- [3]90%Tesla’s Cybercab Is Finally Giving Paid Robotaxi Rides. Here’s What It Can And Can’t Doinsideevs.com· Published Sep 4, 2026· 17% of score
InsideEVs reports the Cybercab "is now offering robotaxi rides in Austin, Texas" after the closed launch event "on Thursday night", with public hails from 5 pm Central Time on Friday, and details the vehicle's specifications.
- [4]85%Tesla Cybercab is already under NHTSA investigation after launchelectrek.co· Published Sep 4, 2026· 17% of score
Electrek writes "Tesla launched the Cybercab commercially in Austin yesterday", with invited guests riding first "before rides opened up more broadly through the Robotaxi app".
- [5]75%Tesla's Cybercab Launch Event: How to Watch & What to Expectnotateslaapp.com· Published Sep 3, 2026· 16% of score
Not a Tesla App, a Tesla enthusiast site (standing lowers the score), says the event was "scheduled to begin today, Thursday, September 3, at 4:45 p.m. CDT in downtown Austin", updated that it started without a public stream, and that the Robotaxi app added Cybercab support that day.[1]
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