A Tesla Cybercab. Photograph by Dllu, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Cybercab glitch shows passengers a hidden on-screen drive joystick

Austin riders saw forward/reverse touch controls; car didn’t obey — NHTSA already auditing no-wheel design.

Early Tesla Cybercab passengers in Austin say a software glitch exposed a virtual joystick meant for manual moving of the wheel-less robotaxi.

Futurism reports rider Matthew Skrzypczak found camera views and on-screen forward/reverse controls instead of the normal start interface; attempts to move the car failed, suggesting authorisation is still required. AutoEvolution and others say the controls are likely for staff or emergencies, not riders. NHTSA has opened an audit into how Tesla self-certified Cybercabs without conventional manual controls. The revelation undercuts the marketing claim of a purpose-built vehicle with no driver controls while showing a digital fallback exists.

Sources

Back to the feed