Tesla has about two dozen Cybercabs being tested on public roads around Metro Detroit, according to The Detroit News, which reported the sightings on November 3. The two-seat vehicles operate from Tesla’s collision repair facility in Southfield and have been spotted on I-696, M-10, Telegraph Road and Eight Mile Road.
The Detroit Cybercabs have temporary steering wheels and human test drivers, allowing manual control during testing if needed. The production Cybercab, which Tesla unveiled in October 2024, is designed without a steering wheel or pedals. Tesla has not announced a date for public Cybercab rides in Detroit.
Detroit Brings Winter Conditions to Tesla’s Cybercab Tests
Michigan’s snow and changing weather could give Tesla conditions its southern robotaxi markets rarely experience. Tesla’s Robotaxi service runs in Austin, Dallas and Houston in Texas and in Tampa and Miami in Florida, and it added Fort Worth on November 2, according to Drive Tesla. However, Tesla has not confirmed whether the Detroit operation is done to test and collect winter weather experience. Automotive analyst Stephanie Brinley told The Detroit News that “Tesla has not officially said that they’re testing here.”
The Southfield facility was approved in 2022 for vehicle research, testing, repairs and maintenance, as Electrek reported.
Detroit is not the Cybercab’s first cold climate. In July, EVXL reported a gold Cybercab on public roads in New Zealand, covered in grime from winter testing near the Southern Hemisphere Proving Grounds. That was a proving-ground program with at least two cars. The Detroit fleet is two dozen cars in traffic.
Tesla is farther down the road in Austin, where it began testing Cybercabs without steering wheels or pedals in June, with a safety monitor in the passenger seat, according to TechCrunch.
Waymo Is Already Testing Driverless Cars in Detroit
Waymo began mapping Detroit streets with human drivers in 2025. By October 2026, its vehicles were operating downtown without anyone in the front seat, WXYZ reported.
Waymo’s driverless rides remain limited to employees, and the company has not announced when public service will begin. “Rides will initially only be available to Waymo employees,” Waymo spokesman Chris Bonelli said in October, as The Detroit News reported. That puts Waymo ahead of Tesla in driverless testing in Detroit, although neither company currently offers public rides there, and neither has given a date for when they’ll be public.
Michigan Has No Single Agency Overseeing Self-Driving Taxis
Michigan has no single government agency responsible for overseeing autonomous vehicles from companies such as Tesla and Waymo. Axios reported in April that regulatory authority over Waymo’s arrival in Detroit is fragmented.
Normally local police enforce traffic laws, while the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) oversees vehicle safety, but no agency covers self-driving taxis specifically. MITechNews described the same split between local police, NHTSA and state law when Waymo went driverless in October, and noted that Michigan law treats the automated driving system itself as the driver for traffic-law purposes. Detroit’s Office of Mobility Innovation told WXYZ that Waymo’s deployment is regulated by the State of Michigan and that it meets regularly with the company so police and fire departments are prepared.
NHTSA recently proposed optional cyan marker lights to identify vehicles operating without human supervision, as EVXL reported. The proposal has not yet become an official regulation, and comments are open until November 25.
EVXL’s Take
Michigan could answer a question Tesla’s southern testing cannot, and that is whether Cybercab can operate reliably through northern winters. This data could be very important for Tesla’s next steps.
The real milestone would be Tesla testing without drivers in Michigan and demonstrating that Cybercab can handle snow. Waymo has already reached the driverless testing stage in Detroit, leaving Tesla playing catch-up.
Sources: The Detroit News, Drive Tesla, Electrek, TechCrunch, WXYZ, Axios, MITechNews, NHTSA.
EVXL uses automated tools to support research and source retrieval. All reporting is by Damien Kesteloo, edited by Haye Kesteloo.
