[DigitalToday intern reporter Seung-a Yoo] Tesla has been confirmed to have hidden a manual control function in its steering wheel- and pedal-free Cybercab robotaxi that can move the vehicle using a virtual joystick on the screen.

On Sept. 8 (local time), overseas media including electric vehicle outlet Electrek reported that Cybercab riders have recently and repeatedly found scenes showing a virtual joystick for manual driving on the vehicle screen. The feature is believed to be not for ordinary passengers, but for Tesla employees or maintenance and vehicle management personnel to reposition the vehicle at low speed.

Cybercab rider Matthew Skrzypczak (매슈 스크지프차크) posted a video on X, formerly Twitter, on Sept. 7 showing a screen layout different from usual. "When I got in the vehicle, the display changed into a form with a virtual joystick for manual driving," he said. "I felt like I saw something I wasn't supposed to see," he added. He then tried to move the vehicle by operating the joystick himself, but the vehicle did not move.

Weird #cybercab situation! When I got in the vehicle, the display was in a different configuration with a virtual joystick for manual driving! I have a feeling I wasn’t supposed to see this… but I try to manually drive the vehicle anyway! @wholemars @DirtyTesLa @DavidMoss… pic.twitter.com/mQsoDFDbEJ

The video showed the Cybercab's central touchscreen split into left and right sections. On the left was a manual driving screen centered on the virtual joystick, including functions to select forward and reverse and buttons for stopping the vehicle, horn, opening doors and requesting support. On the right was a camera view showing the vehicle's surroundings. Some side cameras, however, appeared frozen on a Supercharger screen that seemed to show where the vehicle had previously been.

The control method appears to select forward or reverse by moving the on-screen joystick up and down, and adjust the vehicle's direction by moving it left and right. Some reports have estimated the feature is intended to move the vehicle at low speeds of 7 miles per hour (about 11 km per hour) or less. But because the vehicle did not move when Skrzypczak operated it, it has not been confirmed whether ordinary passengers can use the feature or whether a separate authentication process is required.

The reason the Cybercab needs such a feature is to prepare for situations in which a person must move a vehicle that has no steering wheel or pedals. It appears to allow low-speed movement without separate remote operation or support from a control center when adjusting the vehicle's position in a garage or parking lot or moving it in a tight space. It could also be used if rescue or emergency personnel need to move the vehicle in an emergency. Tesla's emergency response guide also states that when the Cybercab is operational, it can be moved manually using control devices installed in the vehicle.

Such manual control features contrast with the design direction the Cybercab has publicly emphasized. Tesla designed the Cybercab as a fully autonomous vehicle that eliminates conventional manual controls such as a steering wheel, accelerator and brake pedals, and side mirrors.

Shortly after the Cybercab began commercial operations in Austin, the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) started examining Tesla's vehicle certification process for about 1,000 Cybercabs. NHTSA is reviewing the process and technical materials behind Tesla's determination that the vehicle meets federal motor vehicle safety standards. It is also checking the basis for judging that some safety standards do not apply to vehicles without a steering wheel, brake pedal, accelerator pedal or mirrors.

Tesla board chair Robyn Denholm (로빈 덴홀름) also said in October last year, "If a steering wheel is needed, we can add a steering wheel and pedals." During the actual testing stage, Cybercab prototype vehicles fitted with a steering wheel and pedals were also spotted several times.

Ultimately, the discovery of the virtual joystick shows that even the Cybercab, which has completely eliminated physical driving devices, has another means that allows a person to move the vehicle when needed. Tesla has not offered further explanation on why the function was exposed to ordinary passengers and about actual access rights and safety devices.