ORLANDO, Fla. – A News 6 photographer spotted one on Monday: a gold-colored Tesla coupe with an obscured rear window, driving up Pine Hills Road in Orange County.
Social media posts show we’re not the only ones to have seen the car in recent days.
The vehicle is a Tesla Cybercab, and we may see more of these cars in the future.
The car is meant to be part of Tesla’s “Robotaxi” ride-hailing fleet, and it can be fully autonomous, though it’s reportedly not fully self-driving yet. It has two seats, butterfly doors, and no steering wheel or pedals.
Tesla just recently secured a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Certificate of Conformity for the Cybercab, a key step in getting the car on the road. Documents filed with the EPA show the vehicle is certified at 165 Wh/mi, making it one of the most efficient electric vehicles on the road.
The Cybercab is currently being produced at the Tesla Gigafactory in Texas. The vehicles are currently part of Tesla’s robotaxi service in Texas.
They’re expected to roll out as robotaxi vehicles in Orlando, Tampa, Miami, Las Vegas and other markets this year.
Tesla says the vehicles will eventually hit the market to buy and are expected to cost around $30,000.