In April, Tesla’s autonomous vehicle service launched in Dallas, officially marking North Texas’ first spot on the robotaxi’s list.
According to a third party website called Robotaxi Tracker, Tesla currently covers 31 square miles of Dallas, 17 miles less than Waymo.
Dallasites have been spotting the new cars throughout the city and have asked, “What are these gold Teslas?”
Known as a Cybercab, the autonomous vehicle is another effort by the company to “radically change transportation as we know it,” said senior design executive Franz von Holzhausen in a first look video. The commercial cabs are being tested and mapped throughout the city and will operate under Tesla’s Robotaxi ridehailing app.
A fleet of Tesla Model Y vehicles serves the city on the Robotaxi app. If a Dallasite orders a ride, they will not yet receive one of the gold cars. This fleet operates in parts of the following neighborhoods:
Prices vary depending on time and location and are subject to change, according to the company’s website. The hours of operation for Robotaxi in Dallas are 6 a.m. to 2 a.m.
The Cybercab, which is still being developed, features no steering wheel, rearview windows or back windshield, and is intentionally designed to seat one to two passengers. According to a 2024 study about ride-hail party sizes, 83% of rides consisted of one to two passengers.
Seen as an alternative to public transportation, Tesla’s Cybercabs are seeking to be a solution for different types of commuters.
“It allows people who don’t necessarily have access to public transportation to get from A to B, to go to places they maybe couldn’t afford or where transportation wouldn’t take them,” von Holzhausen said in the video.
The distinct color allows the public to distinguish between a privately owned vehicle and the autonomous vehicle. The color was chosen to reflect a futuristic version of the iconic yellow cabs in New York City.