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NHTSA Opens Safety Examination of Tesla Cybercab Fleet
Confirmed
In Short: The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has initiated an examination of Tesla's Cybercab vehicles, which are part of the company's growing autonomous taxi service.
Tesla began commercial deployment of its Cybercab vehicles in Austin, Texas, with a small fleet of two-seater autonomous vehicles without steering wheels or brake pedals. According to a report, Tesla certified these vehicles as compliant with all applicable Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) and plans to expand the service.
However, NHTSA recently granted an exemption to Tesla's rival, Zoox, allowing it to deploy up to 2,500 robotaxis without steering wheels or pedals. This has raised questions about the regulatory standards for autonomous vehicles. In a move that coincided with the addition of Cybercabs to Tesla's Robotaxi fleet, NHTSA opened an examination of the Cybercab's regulatory compliance.
NHTSA's Office of Vehicle Safety Compliance is investigating the process and technical data Tesla relied on to certify the Cybercab. Tesla's Robotaxi service currently uses Model Y SUVs without drivers, but these vehicles still have steering wheels and pedals installed. Tesla has not yet commented on the NHTSA examination.
Tesla currently has 45 Cybercabs registered for operation in Texas, with the vehicles being deployed within geofenced areas in Austin, Houston, and Dallas. These vehicles are remotely monitored by Tesla. The investigation comes just hours after Tesla welcomed hundreds of fans to downtown Austin to experience the driverless Cybercabs.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk has stated that the company should no longer be regarded as an automaker but as a robotics and autonomous vehicle company. The investigation is part of the Trump Administration's efforts to enhance safety on roads and update vehicle standards to facilitate the deployment of driverless cars. While Tesla does not need an exemption because its vehicles comply with existing safety standards, the NHTSA is examining the data and process Tesla used to make this determination.
What's still developing
- Like Zoox, Tesla owns all of its Cybercabs and does not yet sell them to outside companies or individual retail customers.
- “For Tesla to slap them in the face and ignore that—that is gobsmacking,” she says.