Tesla's driverless Cybercab hit the road today, and federal regulators are already looking under the hood.
Tesla officially launched the Cybercab on September 4, 2026, a purpose-built robotaxi that ships without a steering wheel or pedals. The vehicle has no manual controls at all, betting entirely on Tesla's self-driving software to handle every mile with no human backup. That design has drawn scrutiny from the US government, which is now investigating whether a car with no way for a person to take over meets existing vehicle safety standards. The investigation surfaced the same day the Cybercab officially launched.
Removing the steering wheel isn't a styling flourish - it's the entire business model. If regulators conclude a passenger vehicle needs a manual override to be street-legal, Tesla can't fix that with a software update; it would need a redesign. The timing means Tesla is now selling and defending the same product on the same day.
A robotaxi that launches and draws a federal investigation within hours of each other isn't the confident debut Tesla wanted - it's a reminder that "ready for the road" and "cleared by regulators" are still two very different things.