Federal regulations typically mandate that vehicles possess physical brake pedals and steering columns. While the Department of Transportation has signaled a potential shift in these requirements for fully autonomous designs, the current framework remains rigid. Tesla maintains that its new fleet complies with the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards, a claim traditionally verified by the manufacturers themselves.
In section Startups & Technology
NHTSA scrutinizes Tesla's steering-wheel-free Cybercab
Hours after Tesla deployed its pedal-less, steering-wheel-free Cybercabs onto the streets of Austin, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration launched a formal investigation. The probe targets the automaker's self-certification process, which asserts that the autonomous vehicles meet all existing federal safety standards despite lacking traditional manual control mechanisms.
Regulators now aim to audit the technical data and internal assessments Tesla used to justify this compliance. The investigation will focus on whether the company unilaterally determined specific safety standards to be inapplicable to the Cybercab’s unique architecture. The outcome of this review could set a critical precedent for how autonomous vehicles without manual overrides are brought to market in the United States.
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