I rode in Cybercab and now think Waymo's days could be numbered – why Tesla's latest marks the end of Cybertruck, poses questions to Uber
Level 5 autonomy is live in Tesla's two-seater, no-steering-wheel vehicle
by Mike Lowe · T3
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After flying to Austin, Texas, and experiencing Starlink Wi-Fi on the flight out for the first time – with 200Mbps+ sustained download speeds throughout – it's clear that the home of Tesla is alive and well.
Austin, which houses Tesla's Gigafactory facility and corporate headquarters, is also the only city where the brand's new Cybercab is operational, with Dallas expecting a phased entry later this month.
The Cybercab, which is a purpose-built, two-seater vehicle, has no steering wheel. It is therefore the first Level 5 autonomous vehicle operating to the public – hailed specifically by using the Robotaxi app – and has been operational since early September.
Way-no! The expanding autonomous options
Now, Cybercab isn't the only automated taxi service available. After mere hours in Austin, that was abundantly clear: I saw Avride, Zoox and Waymo all operational on the city's roads (the first two are operating in their invite-only test phases; the third runs through Uber's app in the Austin area).
Much as I've enjoyed the Waymo option, which I've used when in San Francisco, I can't help but feel that Tesla's Cybercab is miles ahead. It's far more spacious per passenger, for starters, as you don't slide into the back seat with limited legroom. But it also just looks more futuristic and defined – no flashy, spinny, rotational extras poking out of its chassis.
Waymo, which is owned by Alphabet Inc (Google's parent company), has been great in paving the way for autonomous vehicles' wider acceptance. Many of its sensors are so visibly on display, however, that I feel it's been designed to coax a greater sense of trust from initially unsure passengers.
Cybercab doesn't need to. Its gold coat and wheel caps give it distinctive style – a point of attraction for passengers who've already broken through the trust barrier.
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Tesla also offers Robotaxi, an adapted Model Y with rear seats to accommodate up to four passengers, but that features a (non-functional) steering wheel and is therefore a lower-level of autonomy on that basis alone.
The end of Cybertruck
That Tesla also announced the end of its Cybertruck production on the day when I first took a Cybercab ride had a palpable synergy. The latter is to replace the former, with Tesla identifying the automated taxi market's future as key.
Cybercab registrations in Austin have boomed, with the last official count surpassing the 570 marker. The vehicles are everywhere around downtown – I would often spot two or three at once – meaning there's a decent volume of supply, but also the demand for the service.
But that's precisely why Tesla's bold push into this market asks questions of Uber. As ever, economics are a huge part of the equation. And, from my multiple ride-hail sessions when in the city, Robotaxi came up cheapest every time, without exception*.
I asked Cybercab's built-in Grok AI about pricing structure, whether it was set per time or distance and/or based on demand and surge pricing, but she could not divulge specific information. From my experience, the going rate is approximately $2.50 per mile, or $0.08 per minute of travel.
Even with that above approximate equation, it's many dollars cheaper to use the Robotaxi app compared to Uber – some of my ~$13 rides would have been $10 greater if using the latter. That poses a big question for the biggest ride-hailing app in the world – and further explains its investment in Avride and agreement with Waymo.
Will such prices remain as low? I can't imagine so – but there's no official word as to future plans. To gain a customer base first and foremost would be a logical goal. For that customer base to then opt for Robotaxi use over the alternatives, as based on their positive experience, will only further its success.
*An exception being that Robotaxi and Cybercab vehicles are ring-fenced and only permitted to operate on some roads within that pre-defined 288-square-mile area. They're unable to use highways (bar from entering to then exit on the next slip) and, for example, cannot reach Austin's Bergstrom airport.
Any issues?
I've followed autonomous vehicle progression for years as part of my job, exploring the developmental phases of carmakers such as Toyota, Audi and Mercedes-Benz – which I've experienced in driverless forms around the world, from Japan to the USA, and in parts of Europe.
Such brands are notably absent in the autonomous taxi game. They're also examples of astutely cautious operators, as various country and regional laws have restricted the speed at which autonomous features can be rolled out. Erring on caution has been their preference – Tesla, on the other hand, has been all about pace.
That's caused some issues, perhaps predictably, with 'cat detection' (or lack thereof, environmental conditions depending) being the first widely viral. There's also been a report of a doll being run over in broad daylight, which has raised queries around systematic failures in aspects of the technology.
From my experience alone, it's clear not everything is fully finessed: when my Cybercab advanced to 37mph on a 30mph speed-restricted road (you can see a live readout in a faint grey to the top left of the vehicle's display), I again queried Grok about the vehicle's law-abiding abilities – it had no firm answers, but did offer to connect to customer support.
I declined, but that didn't stop me from hailing another Cybercab for my return journey. In only a matter of hours, I somehow had put my trust in what, until last week, had been the stuff of sci-fi-movie fantasy – but is now a genuine, operational reality. And one that I can only see expanding at the cost of other competitors.