Tesla Cybercab Spotted in the Wild — Autonomy Gets Real

Tesla Cybercab Spotted in the Wild — Autonomy Gets Real

TL;DR: Tesla’s Cybercab, the company’s long-hyped autonomous vehicle, is officially stretching its legs in the real world. It’s been spotted testing on public roads near Tesla’s California headquarters.

Meta: Tesla's Cybercab has been spotted testing on public roads, signaling that the autonomous EV might be closer to reality than expected.

Tesla’s long-promised entrance into the world of autonomous taxis just got real-er than a spilled latte in a Model 3 cupholder. A Cybercab prototype was photographed testing just miles from Tesla's Engineering HQ in Los Altos, California — not a closed track, not a CGI sim, but the good ol’ pavement where humans still honk at squirrels.

While we aren’t looking at a production vehicle just yet, this rare appearance in the wild signals that Tesla is inching closer to the real-world rollout of its robotaxi concept. Yes, it still rocks that vault-like Cyber-ish design, and yes — it appears steering-wheel-free (at least in this configuration).

"Seeing the Cybercab drive around makes the idea of a fully autonomous Tesla feel less like a sci-fi tease and more like Elon’s Tuesday."

Design Details and Function Clues

So what do we know? Visually, the test vehicle matches previously teased Cybercab renders: compact, minimalist, and fully unbothered by traditional stuff like side mirrors or door handles. It’s not a sedan, nor is it an SUV — it’s got Met Gala energy: all statement, barely street legal-looking.

Crucially, this test version doesn't appear to have a steering wheel or pedals. But don’t bet your last charging cable on that staying true. Tesla has previously confirmed there’ll be a backup plan: they’re prepared to add manual controls if required by regulators.

So while this might be the Wheel-less Wonder Trojan Horse from the future, regulatory reality may call for an old-school roundy thing where drivers are still expected.

The Road Ahead for Robotaxis

Tesla’s entry into autonomous ride services would pit it against Waymo, Cruise (well, when they’re not grounded), Zoox, and others already deep into autonomous pilot programs.

But Tesla’s approach is different: FSD (Full Self Driving) aims to work with existing hardware, using AI-style neural nets trained mostly on consumer-driving data. No lidar, no big roof racks packed with spinning widgets — just cameras, code, and the kind of confidence only Elon Musk could copyright.

How close are we really? That’s less clear. Tesla expects to unveil the full production Cybercab sometime in 2026. Testing now means they’re keeping that momentum going — and possibly escalating the FSD v12 rollout to build real-world testing intel.

What’s next

Next steps likely include expanded testing in other cities and regulatory negotiations wherever Tesla hopes to deploy the Cybercab network. Since this particular prototype seems purpose-built for urban robotaxi use, we may even see new markets being courted long before 2026.

But hey, one step at a time — first it drives around Los Altos, next it drives your latte to you.

And when that happens? I’m asking for mine with oat milk, and no door handles.

Eddie’s take: When your future ride doesn’t even have a steering wheel, you know you're either in tomorrow’s world or Elon just left you a prank in the parking lot.