The newest addition to Tesla’s fleet of robotaxis is now on the road. While the driverless taxi service previously offered only the Model Y, it recently introduced the Cybercab—a golden car with butterfly doors, interactive touchscreens, and no steering wheel.
So far, the Cybercab is available solely in Austin, Texas, but a viral advertisement for the new vehicles has social media users everywhere raising their eyebrows.
A maybe not-so-accessible ride
Tesla posted its now widely shared ad with the caption: “Cybercab is designed to be a great experience for every rider.” The video sees riders with mobility aids storing them in the Cybercab’s spacious trunk: One man rolls up to the car in a wheelchair, and another approaches on crutches.
But those scenarios raise one glaring question. If solo riders require a mobility aid to get around, how could they get into the car after putting their wheelchair, crutches, cane, or another accessibility device in the trunk?
Social media users were quick to call out the obvious issue. “Just pick up your wheelchair and place it in the trunk, and walk over to the door,” reads one sarcastic post. “Makes perfect sense.”
“DID THE CYBERCAB JUST HEAL THAT WHEELCHAIR USER?!?!” joked another user.
Other X users alleged that the ad is meant to promote an image of accessibility without providing an actually accessible product. “This is not the real world. It’s slop meant to tug at the wallets of able-bodied investors,” one user wrote.