Tesla Cybercab is barely real and it’s already under investigation
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has launched an investigation into Tesla's Cybercab due to its lack of mandatory safety features like steering wheels and pedals. The probe focuses on whether Tesla's self-certification process for these vehicles complies with federal standards.
Why it matters
The investigation challenges the regulatory path for autonomous vehicles that deviate from traditional automotive design requirements.
Elon Musk’s gilded robot car barely made it on public roads before federal regulators launched an investigation into the vehicle’s lack of traditional features — many of which are required by law.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said it was opening an audit query (AQ) into the Tesla Cybercab “to examine the process and technical data on which Tesla relied when certifying the Cybercab and related issues.” At issue is the absence of certain design features such as sideview mirrors, pedals, and steering wheel — all of which are required under the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards, or FMVSS.
“Among other things, NHTSA will consider the extent to which Tesla’s certification depended on determinations that certain FMVSS are inapplicable to the Cybercab,” the agency said in a notice. Tesla does not appear to have sought an exemption from these FMVSS rules, thus prompting the investigation.
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