A pair of Tesla Cybercabs were spotted cruising Highway 280 this week, outfitted with sensor rigs and turning heads — though maybe not in the way Elon Musk would hope.
The sleek, doorhandle-less two-seaters are Tesla's bid to crack the autonomous robotaxi market currently dominated by Waymo in San Francisco. But before we even get to the self-driving tech debate, there's a more fundamental question: who exactly is the customer for a two-seat taxi?
As one Bay Area resident put it plainly: "I guess not for families, or any friends on these rides." It's a fair point. Waymo sends you a Jaguar SUV. Tesla's grand vision is... a matchbox car that fits you and one buddy, assuming neither of you has luggage. Or legs longer than 5'10".
The bigger issue, of course, is whether Tesla can actually deliver autonomous driving at all. Waymo has racked up millions of driverless miles across SF using a robust sensor suite that includes LIDAR. Tesla, famously, has bet the farm on cameras alone — a vision-only approach that Musk has championed and that skeptics have questioned for years. The Cybercabs on 280 were notably sporting additional sensor rigs, which raises the question: is Tesla quietly hedging on that camera-only bet?
Let's be clear — we're pro-innovation here. More competition in the robotaxi space could mean lower prices, better service, and less reliance on government-run transit that hemorrhages money. That's a win for consumers and taxpayers alike. But competition only works when the product actually delivers.
Tesla doesn't currently hold a permit for fully driverless testing in California. These vehicles had safety drivers, and the company has a long road — pun intended — before it can legally operate a commercial robotaxi service in the state.
Another local captured the vibe: "I'm not getting in something with no door handles." Hard to build a taxi empire when the doors are a trust exercise.
We'll watch this one closely. If Tesla can prove the tech works safely, great — let them compete. But SF residents have already been the guinea pigs for one autonomous vehicle rollout. Forgive us for wanting to see the receipts before round two.
