Tesla held a low-key private event to launch its Cybercab, a fully autonomous, driverless vehicle intended to compete with Waymo on price, but the company revealed key details through PDFs and app terms of service rather than a full presentation. The muted rollout is notable given CEO Elon Musk's long-stated ambitions for the vehicle, and Tesla now faces scrutiny from the public, local governments and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which has already opened an investigation into the Cybercab's rollout.

Among the disclosed details, Tesla will not currently allow children under 13 to ride in the Cybercab, and the vehicle lacks standard LATCH child-seat anchors, requiring seat belts instead; all under-18s must be accompanied by an adult. In the event of a crash, the Cybercab is designed to inflate airbags, unlock doors, activate hazard and interior lights, disable its high-voltage battery, vent its windows, brake to a stop, and open a two-way link to Tesla's support team. The electronic door latches remain a point of concern given recent criticism of Tesla's designs, including a 3-million-vehicle recall in China last month over door latches that could trap occupants after a crash, alongside separate concerns that manual door releases are hard to find in emergencies.