Tesla Cybercab Spotted with On-Screen Joystick for Manual Driving

Tesla’s Cybercab was designed as a fully autonomous robotaxi, with no steering wheel and no pedals for a human to operate. But a rider recently discovered that the vehicle may not be entirely without manual controls after all.

According to the account, the touchscreen inside the Cybercab was displaying a virtual joystick that allowed the car to be driven by dragging a finger across the display. The setup suggests Tesla has built some form of manual override into the cabin, even if it is not meant for everyday use.

The sighting raises questions about how such a control would be used in practice — whether for emergencies, low-speed maneuvering, or testing — and how regulators might view a vehicle that blends autonomous operation with touch-based driving.