Ride the Lightning: Tesla and EV Podcast

Episode 535: A Cybercab…With a Steering Wheel? It Could Happen

·1 hr 16 min·5 clips

Tesla says it might build the driverless CyberCab with a steering wheel if regulators force it.

The episode opens with the headline that Tesla might equip the CyberCab with a steering wheel and pedals if regulators require it, a surprising twist on the driverless vehicle. Host Ryan McCaffrey then shifts to speculating about the Roadster re-reveal date, narrowing it to November 20th or December 11th based on Tesla's pattern of holding events on Thursdays. He supports this with a clip from Elon Musk on Joe Rogan's podcast, where Musk hints at 'crazy technology' and an unforgettable demo for the Roadster, possibly before year-end. McCaffrey highlights a concrete development: a Tesla job listing for a 'Manufacturing Engineer, Roadster,' seen as the first real sign of production moving forward, though he estimates production might not start until 2027 or 2028. The episode notes the Fremont factory's 15th anniversary under Tesla ownership, celebrating 3.6 million vehicles produced. Progress on Tesla's robotaxi program includes approval to operate at San Jose International Airport and an expanded service area in Austin. McCaffrey delves deeper into the CyberCab steering wheel dilemma, discussing how it could ruin the interior design but might appeal to more customers initially. He references Tesla chairperson Robin Denholm's confirmation of this backup plan and contrasts it with Elon Musk's previous stance against inputs. Other EV news includes Rivian hosting an autonomy day on December 11th and Lucid partnering with NVIDIA to achieve Level 4 'mind off' autonomous driving. The episode features listener calls on topics like Tesla app maintenance notifications, the possibility of a Tesla RV, Hardware 3 upgrades, and FSD driving behavior. McCaffrey shares his first impressions of FSD version 14, noting both improvements and issues like hard braking for non-threats. It concludes with a pro tip about the e-brake engaging during auto-park and promotions for sponsors and Patreon supporters.

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