Tesla began offering limited public Cybercab rides in Austin late Thursday, marking the commercial debut of its purpose-built robotaxi. The gold two-seat vehicle has butterfly doors but no steering wheel, pedals or mirrors, and relies on Tesla’s camera-based autonomous-driving system. Tesla shares rose more than 5% Thursday as investors welcomed the launch, while the company carried a $1.4 trillion valuation. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is evaluating the rollout and communicating with Tesla. Federal safety standards require steering wheels, pedals and mirrors, meaning Tesla must establish compliance or obtain exemptions before selling Cybercabs broadly. Texas records list 45 Cybercabs among about 420 autonomous vehicles in the state, compared with roughly 988 Waymo vehicles in Texas and more than 4,000 nationwide. Tesla plans dynamic pricing but has not released a full fare schedule, and CEO Elon Musk has previously said consumers could eventually buy a Cybercab for less than $30,000 and place it on Tesla’s ride-hailing network. Earlier coverage described a September 3 Cybercab unveiling, a planned Austin fleet of 1,000 vehicles and commercial operations in the city. The latest report characterizes the limited public rides as the vehicle’s commercial debut. Tesla’s integrated vehicle, software and ride-hailing strategy remains a contrast with Uber’s marketplace model, which partners with autonomous-vehicle developers including Waymo, Zoox, Apollo Go and Avride.