• by Tanya Gazdik , 10 hours ago

Tesla officially launched its Cybercab Robotaxi on Thursday in Austin, Texas. 

But in a surprise move, Tesla kept the event tightly under wraps. 

“For a company that has turned product reveals into spectacle, from the Cybertruck’s shattered window to the original Cybercab unveiling on a Hollywood soundstage in 2024, this event was notable for what it withheld,” according to AutoConnectedCar. “Despite weeks of teasers from Chief Executive Elon Musk and other Tesla executives, the presentation was not livestreamed, and as of Thursday evening Tesla had posted no live footage and offered no public remarks from Musk or other company leaders.”

Tesla finally posted a 55-second video on YouTube Thursday evening with the title “The Future Has Arrived.” The electric vehicle automaker also updated the Robotaxi website in connection with the event. 

Autonomous Robotaxi rides are currently being offered in six cities in Texas and Florida -- Austin, Dallas, Houston, Miami, Orlando and Tampa -- according to the website. Consumers can download the Robotaxi app for iOS or Android to get started. 

“The gold Cybercab represents more than just an upgrade to the modified Model Y’s in Tesla’s current robotaxi pilot,” according to Automotive News. “The new hatchback is key to the automaker’s bid to catch autonomy leader Waymo and remake itself as an artificial intelligence and robotics company. But first the Cybercabs have to drive themselves safely.”

Tesla posted a video on its website that was shared on its social media accounts of the Cybercab being accessed by three different customers: a person in a wheelchair, another person on crutches and a third with a suitcase. The caption: “Cybercab is designed to be a great experience for every rider.”

The video, which has more than 2 million views, also has more than a few comments from viewers noting that the man in the wheelchair appears to put the wheelchair into the trunk of the Cybercab.

“How did the dude in the wheelchair get in?” asks one while another notes “The person who made this video has never met a disabled person in their whole life” and “So how does a guy in a wheelchair suddenly gain the ability to stand up and put a wheel chair in the car? Don't tout accessibility and then insult the people you are claiming to help.”

Also new on the Tesla website is a form for businesses interested in buying Cybercab fleets or providing infrastructure for its network. 

“[It is] the latest sign that the company’s aspirations for its gold-hued autonomous vehicle stretch beyond being a robotaxi operator,” according to TechCrunch. The form “is not definitive proof that Tesla will sell its autonomous vehicles to third-party operators. But it’s certainly an indicator of where the company’s longer-term plans lie. Tesla wants to scale and it doesn’t seem to want to do it alone.”