Tesla Cybercab Has Hidden Touchscreen Joystick — SkimNews
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- Tesla built the Cybercab without a steering wheel or pedals, yet a rider found a virtual joystick on the touchscreen enabling manual control, suggesting internal workarounds for human-driven movement.
- Matthew Skrzypczak posted a video on X on September 7 showing the Cybercab’s display in an unusual mode with a dragable on-screen joystick and live camera feeds frozen from a prior location.
- Tesla has never publicly shown the manual driving interface, which appears designed for low-speed repositioning in depots or tight spaces rather than emergency takeovers.
- NHTSA opened an audit on September 3 into Tesla’s certification of the Cybercab, questioning whether federal safety standards apply to a vehicle lacking traditional controls.
- Robin Denholm, Tesla chair, previously stated the Cybercab could be equipped with physical steering wheels and pedals if regulatory requirements demanded it.
Why it matters: Regulators are scrutinizing whether a car with no physical controls can be certified as safe, but Tesla’s hidden manual mode suggests the company acknowledges scenarios where human intervention is necessary—undermining its claim that full autonomy eliminates the need for driver inputs. This creates tension between Tesla’s marketing and engineering realities.
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