Two significant new sightings this week have revealed new details about Tesla’s upcoming robotaxi. In Chicago, a winter engineering prototype was spotted with a feature that Tesla owners have been requesting for a decade, while in Austin, the autonomous vehicle is finally getting closer to its final form.
Rear Camera Washer Confirmed
A Cybercab engineering validation prototype testing on the salty, slushy roads of Chicago has confirmed the addition of a rear camera washer.
Photos shared on X show the vehicle’s rear camera housing and surrounding areas are wet and clean, despite the bodywork being coated in winter road grime.
Until recently, Tesla has refused to include camera washers on any of its vehicles. First with the Cybertruck and more recently, other models, Tesla finally caved and added a camera washer to the front bumper camera. However, the other cameras have remained without a dedicated cleaning option, until now.
While the front cameras are behind the windshield, giving them the best way to get cleared, the other cameras haven’t caused much of an issue, except for the rear camera, which is easily covered by road debris.
Early last year, Tesla announced that it was working on a “comprehensive cleaning solution,” and this may be our first look at it.
For a vehicle that’s designed to have no driver, a blocked camera is a critical failure point. The presence of a washer suggests that Tesla is admitting it can’t stick with vision-only autonomy that requires occasional human intervention - an automated, simple, and proven cleaning system is the best choice.
From the looks of it, this is a very similar solution to the front bumper camera, where water is simply sprayed onto the lens, washing away any debris.
The biggest question on everyone’s mind is whether this rear camera washer will also appear on other models in the future. If Tesla has determined that a rear camera washer will improve FSD reliability, then it’s likely that we’ll see the same approach added to other models in Tesla’s lineup.
The Mirrorless Prototype
While the Chicago unit is battling winter weather, a new prototype in Austin has been spotted on the roads, testing without side mirrors for the first time.
Previous test mules spotted in Texas were equipped with standard side mirrors alongside their steering wheels and pedals to comply with local and FMVSS regulations. This newest unit, however, has deleted the mirrors entirely, relying solely on its fender cameras for visibility.
Notably, even this mirrorless unit still has the temporary human controls installed. Tesla is still in early engineering validation phases, where a human safety engineer must be ready to take over, even as the external hardware inches closer to the final Robotaxi form.
Production Looms
These two sightings help to paint a clearer picture of Tesla’s development curve with the Cybercab. The Chicago unit is stress-testing the sensors, ensuring it can perform in challenging weather conditions, while the Austin units are validating the actual platform - the aerodynamics and software behavior without mirrors installed.
For current Tesla owners, the hope is that the rear camera washer isn’t just a Cybercab exclusive, but instead a feature that will make its way to the rest of the lineup in the near future.
