EVwire brief: Tesla has begun producing multiple Cybercab units at Giga Texas without steering wheels, with at least ~14 vehicles spotted in the outbound lot.
The vehicles were spotted by longtime Tesla watcher Joe Tegtmeyer, who has been observing an uptick in Cybercab sightings around the Giga Texas complex in recent weeks.
Here are the new videos/photos of the Cybercabs with no steering wheels that were captured (very) recently:
Context:
The recently spotted vehicles align with Tesla’s original Cybercab concept, which eliminates the steering wheel, pedals, and mirrors in favor of a fully autonomous system. Cybercabs are designed to navigate real-world roads using an unsupervised version of Full Self-Driving (FSD).
The newly spotted units are believed to be heading toward validation and crash testing, marking a transition from early builds to more production-representative vehicles.
Just a couple days ago, Tegtmeyer spotted ~60 Cybercabs around Giga Texas. Some were driving to Superchargers and others were being tested around the complex. A good number of these vehicles, however, were equipped with steering wheels.
Steering wheel variants remain in use
Cybercab test vehicles with manual controls allow engineers to collect real-world driving data, validate hardware, and intervene when needed. In parallel, regulatory requirements in some regions still mandate manual override capability (and even side mirrors) for vehicles operating on public roads.
Cybercabs with manual controls are fitted with a modular kit that includes the Cybertruck steering wheel, as well as an accelerator and brake pedal. The kit is bolted in after removing a part of the dashboard.
You can see this in the image below:
Cybercabs with manual controls are engineering vehicles designed for testing (Source)
Source: Joe Tegtmeyer on X
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