First Look: Tesla's Cybercab Test Mule Has a Cybertruck Steering Wheel Bolted In

A pre-production Tesla Cybercab parked on a street in Berkeley, California has given us the clearest look yet at one of the odder engineering problems in Tesla's lineup: how do you drive a car that was designed from the ground up to have no steering wheel? The answer, according to photos shared with Electrek by reader Adam Machacek on September 11, is refreshingly low-tech. Tesla bolted in a Cybertruck steering wheel.

What happened

The photos show a two-seat Cybercab with its interior panels removed and a squared-off Cybertruck steering wheel mounted on an exposed steering column. That column runs down to a fabricated mount that appears to include an adjustable rail — exactly the kind of temporary rig you'd expect in a vehicle with no factory provision for a driver at all.

The car was wearing a Texas manufacturer plate along with a "CYBERCAB" vanity plate up front, finished in the gold-ish wrap Tesla has used on other test units. Cybercab prototypes with steering wheels have been spotted before, notably running around Austin, but the hardware has never been visible this clearly.

For context: Tesla unveiled the Cybercab in October 2024 as a purpose-built robotaxi with no steering wheel, no pedals, and no mirrors, targeting a price under $30,000. Steering-wheel-less units started coming off the line at Giga Texas earlier this year, and to move one around a depot without controls, Tesla built a virtual joystick into the touchscreen that a person can drag with a finger.

Why it matters

A production robotaxi and an engineering mule collecting data on public roads are two very different jobs. Regulations for testing autonomous prototypes generally require a human who can take over, which means a real wheel connected to real steering — not a touchscreen joystick. So Tesla grafts one on.

None of that is unusual for a prototype; every automaker runs mules with makeshift hardware. What's notable here is the contradiction captured in a single photo: a car whose entire reason to exist is that it drives itself, out doing the actual driving with a borrowed Cybertruck wheel on a temporary mount.

There's a second detail worth flagging. The Cybercab rides on the same next-generation platform Tesla once discussed for a $25,000 car before that project became a robotaxi — and Machacek's reaction to seeing it in person tracks with that history.

What this means for EV owners

The practical takeaway is about parts sharing. Tesla reached into the Cybertruck bin for the most driver-facing component in the car, which is a reminder of how much the company reuses across models when it needs something that already works. That's good news for owners: shared hardware tends to mean a deeper accessory and replacement ecosystem over time.

A few things to keep in mind if you're watching this program:

• Cybertruck gear stays relevant. The yoke-style squared wheel isn't going away — Tesla is still building around it. If you're kitting out a Cybertruck, our Cybertruck accessories collection covers the interior and charging gear that fits it today.
• Don't shop for Cybercab accessories yet. A two-seater with no mirrors and no controls shares almost nothing with a Model 3 or Model Y interior. Fit-specific gear will be its own category whenever it arrives.
• Fitment still rules. Tesla changes hardware mid-cycle more than most automakers. Check your exact model and year in our shop by vehicle collection before ordering anything interior-related.

"This was my first time seeing this car and I was pleasantly surprised about its overall compact size and city-friendly proportions," Adam Machacek told Electrek. "One can not stop thinking this was originally meant to be the 'cheap' Tesla."

The bottom line

These Berkeley photos are the best view we've had of how a Cybercab gets driven by a human, and the answer is a Cybertruck wheel on a fabricated column with the trim panels still off. That's normal prototype engineering. The unusual part is the timing: Tesla is mass-producing a control-free robotaxi in Texas that can't be sold or deployed at scale yet, while the test cars doing the real-world driving still need a person holding a wheel that isn't supposed to exist. For EV owners, the Cybercab remains a fascinating program to watch — just not one to buy accessories for yet.