Tesla has been spotted testing its Cybercab robotaxi on roads at Gigafactory Texas, which is interesting as Tesla is limited on where it can test the steering-wheel-less vehicle.
When Tesla unveiled the Cybercab last month, it did it at the Warners Bros studio lot, and it did so for a good reason.
Tesla wanted to demonstrate what a self-driving robotaxi fleet would look like operating in a city. The studio lot can look like a small city, but it is all private roads, and that’s the real reason Tesla did it there.
The automaker has yet to seek self-driving test permits, and instead, Tesla relies on its “supervised Full Self-Driving” being classified as a level 2 driver assist system where the driver is always responsible.
Under these conditions, Tesla is able to test its system in its existing vehicle lineup, but the Cybercab is different since it doesn’t have a steering wheel or pedals.
Now, Tesla has been spotted testing Cybercab around Gigafactory Texas in Austin:
Some of the roads on the Gigafactory Texas campus are private, but the autonomous driving regulations in Texas are almost a lot more relaxed than in California, where Tesla unveiled the vehicle.
It doesn’t require permits for autonomous vehicles – making it a top prospect for Tesla’s Cybercab testing location.
Tesla has avoided testing its self-driving technology in California for years to avoid the CA DMV’s data reporting rules.
During Tesla’s last earnings, CEO Elon Musk and head of self-driving Ashok Elluswamy said that Tesla aims for its Supervised FSD system to reach over 600,000 miles between disengagement by Q2 2025.
At that point, Tesla plans to launch its unsupervised self-driving system ahead of its Cybercab hitting the market in 2026.
Of course, it’s fair to note that this is Tesla’s aspiration and that current data available points to Tesla being at 190 miles between critical disengagement.
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