Tesla started offering driverless Cybercab rides in limited parts of Austin on Sept. 3, 2026. The same day, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the U.S. auto safety regulator, opened Audit Query AQ26002, a review of how Tesla certified that a car built without human driving controls meets federal safety standards. NHTSA announced the audit on Sept. 4.
Tesla describes Cybercab as a two-seat robotaxi with butterfly doors and no steering wheel or pedals. Riders book through the Robotaxi app, sit in either seat and start the trip from the touchscreen after buckling up. Company pages say Cybercab rides are available only in limited Austin areas, while Model Y robotaxis already run in Austin, Dallas, Houston, Miami, Tampa and, on the main Robotaxi page, Orlando. Tesla's own pages do not publish a fare table; they say a price estimate appears in the app.
NHTSA's audit summary says Tesla notified the agency it certified the Cybercab to all applicable Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) and plans to expand to more vehicles and locations. The summary lists an estimated population of 1,000 Cybercabs and notes the vehicles lack permanently attached conventional controls, including a brake pedal, gas pedal, steering wheel and mirrors.
NHTSA's Sept. 4 press release says the audit will review the technical data Tesla used and whether the company treated some FMVSS requirements as not applying because the car has no traditional human controls. NHTSA Administrator Jonathan Morrison said the agency supports automated-vehicle deployment but still has to enforce existing law until planned rulemakings finish.
According to a news report, Texas registration records put the number of Cybercabs well below NHTSA's 1,000-vehicle estimate as of early Sept. 4. NHTSA had previously said, according to the same report, that Tesla had not petitioned for an exemption that can allow up to 2,500 vehicles per manufacturer a year to run without required human controls. Those state records are not a count from Tesla or NHTSA.
The Center for Auto Safety, a consumer advocacy group, said there is no reasonable reading that Cybercab can comply with FMVSS written for human-driven cars. Tesla did not immediately comment. NHTSA has not said the Cybercab is unsafe: the Audit Query is a paperwork review, not a crash probe, and it is separate from other Full Self-Driving investigations. It is not yet known how fast NHTSA will close AQ26002, whether Tesla will later seek an exemption, or when Cybercab service will expand beyond Austin.