Tesla’s Cybercab Push Intensifies Rivalry With Waymo
WHO:
NY Post - Elon Musk’s Tesla is expanding its Cybercab robotaxi service.
NY Post - A Tesla executive described the company’s transportation ambition as “domination.”
Business Insider - Tesla CEO Elon Musk said Tesla would eventually handle most passenger travel where it is allowed to operate freely.
Business Insider - Ashok Elluswamy, Tesla’s vice president of AI, said unsupervised Full Self-Driving (FSD) was expected “somewhere around Q2 next year.”
Business Insider - Waymo, Zoox, Ford, GM, and Rivian were identified as other autonomous-vehicle competitors.
Business Insider - The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) opened an audit inquiry into Tesla’s self-certification.
WHAT:
NY Post - Tesla is preparing to expand its gold-colored Cybercab robotaxi service beyond Austin.
Business Insider - Musk predicted Tesla would do “a majority of all passenger miles on Earth” in countries where it can operate freely, adding, “I feel confident about this prediction.”
Business Insider - Musk said foreign governments blocking autonomous technology to protect domestic industries pose Tesla’s biggest obstacle.
Business Insider - Musk previously predicted that autonomous vehicles would account for the “vast majority of miles traveled,” with people manually driving fewer than 5% of miles.
Business Insider - Tesla says its future lineup will have only one manually operable vehicle: the high-priced Roadster.
Business Insider - Tesla began rolling out its steering-wheel-less Cybercab for ride-hailing in Texas. The rollout encountered difficulties; Tesla said production was ramping up and it was preparing to launch Cybercab rides in Florida.
Business Insider - Musk has missed several autonomy rollout timelines, including a prediction that unsupervised autonomy would expand across the United States in 2025.
WHERE:
NY Post - The existing Cybercab service operates in Austin, Texas, with expansion planned beyond the city.
Business Insider - Tesla’s Cybercab rollout began in Texas, and the company was preparing rides in Florida.
Business Insider - Musk’s passenger-mile prediction applies to countries where Tesla is allowed to operate freely.
WHEN:
NY Post - Tesla planned to expand Cybercab service beyond Austin next month.
Business Insider - Musk made his prediction during Tesla’s earnings call on Wednesday.
Business Insider - Tesla began rolling out the Cybercab in September.
Business Insider - Elluswamy said unsupervised FSD was expected “somewhere around Q2 next year.”
WHY:
Business Insider - Musk said foreign governments may block autonomous technology “to protect a domestic industry.”
HOW:
Business Insider - The NHTSA opened its audit inquiry hours after the Cybercab’s public release to examine Tesla’s self-certification.
(UPDATED October 23, 2026 00:10 UTC)
Tesla is preparing to expand its gold-colored Cybercab robotaxi service beyond Austin, with rides planned in Florida as production ramps up. The steering-wheel-less vehicle began rolling out in Texas, but the launch has encountered difficulties. CEO Elon Musk predicted Tesla would eventually handle most passenger miles in places where it can operate freely, saying foreign governments that block autonomous technology to protect domestic industries are the biggest obstacle. Tesla’s AI vice president, Ashok Elluswamy, put unsupervised Full Self-Driving around Q2 next year. The company has missed previous autonomy rollout targets, including a prediction that unsupervised driving would spread across the United States in 2025. The NHTSA opened an audit inquiry into Tesla’s self-certification hours after the Cybercab’s public release. Tesla faces competition from Waymo, Zoox, Ford, GM, and Rivian, and says the high-priced Roadster will be its only manually operable future vehicle.