Tesla plans to launch its gold, steering-wheel-free Cybercab vehicles in its Austin robotaxi fleet on September 3. The two-seat pods are Tesla’s first purpose-built autonomous vehicles, replacing modified Model Y sedans that have operated the company’s Texas service since its quiet mid-2025 rollout. Hundreds of Cybercabs have been staged at Gigafactory Texas, with public-road testing beginning in Austin in June and employee preview rides following in July. Tesla’s service initially used Model Y vehicles with safety operators, while unsupervised rides began in early 2026. By April 2026, the network had expanded to Dallas and Houston, although roughly 270 Model Y robotaxis were registered across Texas by late August and only a low-dozens number were active at any given time. Tesla recently registered 79 new robotaxis in one day. Cybercab production began at Gigafactory Texas in early 2026 and was confirmed in April. The vehicle received Level 4 self-certification under Texas law effective May 28, 2026, allowing operation without human controls in defined conditions. Tesla’s purpose-built approach places it in direct competition with Waymo, which operates commercial robotaxi services in Phoenix, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Austin, among other markets.