US regulator opens probe into Tesla's steering-wheel-free Cybercab rollout
The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has launched an investigation into Tesla's decision to put its Cybercab, which lacks a steering wheel and pedals, on public roads. The probe began just hours after the first Cybercabs appeared on Austin streets.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the United States' top vehicle safety regulator, announced Friday that it has opened an investigation into Tesla over the deployment of its new Cybercab model, which is built without a steering wheel or pedals.
The probe was opened just hours after Tesla began operating the first Cybercabs on public streets in Austin, Texas.
Federal rules and self-certification
Current federal vehicle safety regulations generally require cars to include manual controls such as a brake pedal. However, the US Department of Transportation has recently proposed removing these requirements for vehicles specifically designed to operate autonomously.
NHTSA said Friday that Tesla had informed the agency it self-certified the Cybercab as compliant with all Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS). Self-certification of this kind is a standard, routine practice among automakers rather than an exceptional step.
The story is still developing, and further details of the investigation have not yet been released.
