Tesla Cybercab under federal scrutiny as NHTSA questions certification of 1,000 driverless vehicles
US regulators are investigating how Tesla certified 1,000 Cybercab without steering wheels, pedals or mirrors, just as the company began commercial robotaxi operations in Austin and prepared to expand the service.
The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is investigating the certification of nearly 1,000 Tesla Cybercabs, which has put the electric vehicle maker's driverless taxi programme under regulatory scrutiny. The investigation began as Tesla started commercial deployment of the two-seat Cybercabs in Austin, Texas, with plans to gradually expand the service.
The central question in the NHTSA inquiry is how Tesla certified a vehicle designed to operate without a human driver, as the Cybercab lacks conventional controls such as a steering wheel, brake pedal, accelerator pedal, and mirrors. The investigation will examine the process and technical information Tesla relied upon when certifying the vehicles as compliant with federal motor vehicle safety standards.
This is significant as the company aims to make the Cybercab the centerpiece of a larger robotaxi business, but the regulatory framework governing vehicles without human controls is still being reshaped. Tesla's unconventional design puts it in a more complicated position compared to other vehicles, as many existing safety standards were written around vehicles with a person sitting behind a steering wheel.
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