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NHTSA Opens Safety Examination of Tesla Cybercab Fleet
Developing
In Short: The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has initiated an examination of Tesla's Cybercab fleet, following the company's commercial deployment in Austin, Texas.
NHTSA has launched an investigation into Tesla's Cybercab fleet, which began commercial deployment in Austin, Texas, with a small number of vehicles. Tesla certified these vehicles as compliant with all applicable Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS), according to a report from Americancarsandracing.
The agency is also updating vehicle standards to facilitate the deployment of driverless cars, with Tesla arguing that its vehicles already meet all existing safety standards. However, NHTSA is now examining the process and technical data Tesla used to make this certification.
In a related development, NHTSA granted an exemption to Tesla's rival, Zoox, allowing it to deploy up to 2,500 robotaxis without steering wheels or pedals. Tesla's Cybercab, a two-seater without a steering wheel or brake pedals, is set to start public service in two states.
The investigation, known as an Audit Query, will focus on the data and process Tesla used to certify the Cybercab, according to a government filing. Tesla currently has 45 Cybercabs registered for operation in Texas, with the vehicles being remotely monitored by the company.
What's still developing
- “As part of the Trump Administration’s ongoing efforts to unleash American innovation and enhance safety on our roads, NHTSA is in the process of overhauling these standards,” the agency said in a news release.
- The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Office of Vehicle Safety Compliance opened an examination of the Tesla Cybercab’s regulatory compliance on Thursday, the same day the two-seat, autonomous vehicle was formally added to Tesla’s Robotaxi fleet in Austin.
- 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.
- CEO Elon Musk has said that Tesla should no longer be regarded as an automaker, but as a robotics and autonomous vehicle company.
Sources
- Americancarsandracing link