Recently, a prototype of the Cybercab, Tesla’s robotaxi, was spotted with a steering wheel, sparking controversy about the vehicle’s technology.
The model, initially announced as fully autonomous and steering wheel-free, was seen at Tesla’s Gigafactory Texas, raising doubts about the company’s commitment to the promised autonomy.
During the Cybercab’s presentation, the company demonstrated its teleoperation capabilities on closed circuits, but the features did not seem as innovative compared to vehicles already equipped with Full Self-Driving (FSD) technology.
The photo of the vehicle with a steering wheel, captured by Joe Tegtmeyer, has fueled speculation. Some believe Tesla might be considering a consumer version of the Cybercab equipped with a steering wheel, despite the company’s claim that the final model will launch without this feature. The most plausible explanation is that the steering wheel is being used for supervised testing since autonomous technology still requires human oversight, which would also help Tesla avoid regulatory requirements for autonomous driving tests.
The situation also caught attention following Elon Musk’s statements about “unsupervised autonomous driving tests” conducted by Tesla employees. However, the automaker does not have formal permission to conduct such tests, suggesting Musk might be referring to limited testing on private grounds or supervised services in the Bay Area, without involving full-fledged autonomous testing.
Source: Olhar Digital | Photo: Instagram @teslamotors | This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team
