FRANKLIN, Tenn. (WKRN) — You’ve probably seen the self-driving cars with Waymo on Nashville’s roads, but could a new autonomous vehicle be expanding south?
A small fleet of self-driving Tesla cars has recently been spotted in Franklin. There were 15 Tesla Cybercabs in the parking lot of the Dover Centre in Cool Springs.
Each car can seat two passengers. They are gold-colored, with no side mirrors, instead using what appears to be cameras for navigation.
But questions remain about their presence.
Here is what we know: Elon Musk’s Tesla Cybercabs are two-passenger vehicles with a driving range of about 293 miles.
Tesla Robotaxi Model Y service is being offered in Miami, Orlando, Tampa, Austin, Dallas, and Houston.
But the Cybercab is still either in the process of on-road development testing or employee-only pilot rides in many of those cities, and has not officially launched for commerical passenger rides.
Here in Nashville, The Boring Company’s Music City Loop, also owned by Musk, is set to open in 2027. The tunnel will connect downtown Nashville to Nashville International Airport and be accessible only to Teslas.
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“What it will do is help people coming to our city,” Ricky Duke, Owner and Operator of private chauffer company My Nashville Driver, explained. “That helps promote revenue and avoid traffic.”
When asked if any paperwork has been filed for the Cybercabs, the Tennessee Department of Revenue could not share details due to privacy laws.
But if the vehicles were to be activated in Nashville, it would be the second autonomous vehicle following in Waymo‘s tracks after that company launched in April.
“I’ve noticed that they’re definitely here,” Duke said regarding Waymo’s presence. “I’ve noticed at times it seems like there’s a lot of them.”
Duke told News 2 the possibility of another autonomous vehicle in Nashville means a growth in his customer base for the people that value quality human interaction.
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“I’m not convinced that replacing the human is the alternative,” Duke said. “I’d be more for higher standards, better training, more regulation of human drivers to get more of the human Nashville experience that they come for.”
Duke added the autonomous vehicles are here to capitlize on an opportunity in a growing city.
“These are business ventures, and these companies are coming to occupy or to take over one of our local industries,” Duke said. “So as we bring them in, we need to be aware that this is not about cheaper rides. This is not about safer rides. This is about occupying a local industry.”
Tesla and The Boring Company have not responded to News 2’s request for comment as of publication.