The future of autonomous transit is beginning to take shape on the streets of Austin, Texas, but recent sightings of the Cybercab engineering prototypes and the current state of the Robotaxi service reveal some additional things.
While the ultimate goal is a fully hands-off, wireless fleet, the current reality involves physical plugs.
Cybercab’s Charging Port
Tesla Cybercab charging is on the bumper, has a cap, doesn’t open/shut automatically. Interesting. 👀 Spotted randomly today with @JoshWest247 pic.twitter.com/eSNihXh9tl
— WHAT'S INSIDE? (@whatsinside) January 29, 2026
Although Tesla has said the purpose-built Cybercab would rely exclusively on inductive wireless charging, recent sightings of the prototype have confirmed the presence of a traditional charge port.
Tucked behind a small manual drop-down door in the rear corner of the bumper, there’s a NACS port that surprisingly includes a rubber weather cap - a feature usually reserved for CCS ports on non-Tesla EVs.
This physical port is a necessary Frankenstein-esque bridge for engineering and testing. Current infrastructure lacks the inductive charging pads required for a wireless-only fleet, even just for testing. The physical NACS ports enable these prototypes to use the existing Supercharger network for data collection and charging on an as-needed basis.
A First Look at the Butterfly Doors
First Cybercab door fully opening and closing in the wild 🎥 @artsimage pic.twitter.com/uRYX1MOFya
— ARTSIMAGE (@artsimage) January 31, 2026
The Cybercab’s dramatic butterfly doors have also been recently spotted. In the video, you can see the Tesla engineer press the button on the B-pillar to unlatch and open the door, only to have it close on its own when he gets into the car, much like the powered doors in the Model X.
The butterfly door is much simpler than the Model X’s falcon doors, but still gives the passenger plenty of room to get in. We’ll see if Tesla changes the door handle design with the upcoming ban on electric-only door handles.
Limited Unsupervised Availability
While the Cybercab prototypes are turning heads, the actual Robotaxi service in Austin is still relying on a fleet of slightly modified Model Y vehicles. As of late January 2026, Tesla has begun mixing a few Unsupervised rides into the broader fleet.
In these select rides, there is no front-seat safety monitor, allowing passengers to sit in the front and experience the magic of a truly autonomous ride. However, unsupervised does not mean unmonitored.
Some Unsupervised robotaxis were initially spotted being followed closely by Tesla chase cars, though the most recent Unsupervised robotaxis have not had them. During Tesla’s recent earnings call, Musk confirmed that Tesla is no longer using chase cars.
However, the Unsupervised robotaxis appear to have an extremely limited geofence, smaller than the original 19 square mile service area, as per some riders who did extensive testing. We’ll have to wait and see whether the service area expands as rapidly as it did for the supervised fleet. Given Tesla’s cautious, slow rollout so far, we expect it will likely take a few weeks for any further steps.
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