Cybercab vs Consumer Teslas: Door, Window, and Seat Controls

Tesla released its Cybercab First Responder Interaction Plan, providing detailed guidance on how the purpose-built robotaxi functions. The guide confirms that the production Cybercab is a fully autonomous vehicle with no steering wheel, pedals, or traditional human overrides.

With validation testing ramping up ahead of deployment, production has included a mix of steering wheel-less Cybercabs and early engineering units with steering wheels, although the target remains a completely driverless service. The regulatory environment is also evolving, as NHTSA recently dropped its brake pedal requirement for autonomous fleets. Here is how the Cybercab’s interior controls differ from today’s consumer vehicles.

Doors

Entry and exit work differently than in a Model 3 or Model Y. On consumer vehicles, you press the wider part of the exterior handle and pull the narrower part, and inside you press the electronic button on the door handle grip.

The Cybercab introduces a one-button interior door release approach. From outside, doors open by pressing a dedicated button on the B-pillar marked by a horizontal white line.

From inside during normal operation, doors can be opened via the main Open Doors control on the center display, or by using the two Open Door buttons at the lower corners of the screen for each side. Passengers can also lift the physical interior door handle.

If low-voltage power is completely lost, the interior handle provides a mechanical override. The handle has two detents; lifting it fully to the second detent triggers the emergency release, after which the door must be pushed outward and upward manually.

When unpowered, the doors will not remain open on their own and must be held or propped to prevent them from closing. For accessibility, the new interior handles include braille text.

Seat Controls and Adjustment

In consumer Teslas, front seats offer broad adjustment using side-mounted switches, the central touchscreen, or steering wheel scroll wheels.

In the robotaxi, adjustments are simplified to reduce weight and complexity. The seats are fully electric but can be adjusted only through the central touchscreen when low-voltage power is available. Riders can move both seats forward or backward together, and adjust the incline or recline for each seat individually.

Windows

In a Model 3 or Model Y, window operation is handled by switches on each door armrest, and can also be controlled by the mobile app or voice commands.

In the Cybercab, the door panels are minimal. The physical window switches are relocated beneath the center display, and they require active low-voltage power to operate. Future software may add voice command support or Tesla’s full Grok AI assistant as the fleet rolls out.

Trunk

On consumer models, the trunk can be opened from the mobile app, the main touchscreen, or by pressing the button on the exterior liftgate handle.

On the robotaxi, the rear cargo area can be opened either by tapping Open Trunk on the display or pressing the electronic switch beneath the exterior trunk handle, which uses open-trunk iconography. The first responder guide indicates both methods depend on active low-voltage power.

The Cybercab provides a spacious cargo area and adds a brand-new interior trunk camera to help ensure items are not left behind. According to recently published EPA filings, the Cybercab has a maximum weight limit of 617 lbs (about 280 kg) for passengers and cargo combined.

As mass production ramps at Gigafactory Texas, it is unclear whether the Robotaxi mobile experience will also let riders open the trunk remotely as they approach or exit. The specialized configuration of the Cybercab’s door, window, seat, and trunk controls underscores Tesla’s push to streamline the platform for high-volume commercial use.