Photo Credit : Reuters
The US Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has opened an Audit Query (AQ) into Tesla’s certification of the Cybercab, barely a day after the futuristic robotaxi hit the streets in Austin.
Tesla on Thursday, September 3, officially launched commercial Cybercab rides in Austin, Texas, putting dozens of the two-seat electric taxis into its robotaxi network. The launch marked a major step in Elon Musk’s long-running plan to make fully autonomous transportation a mainstream reality.
Unlike most robotaxis that allow a safety driver to take over when things get out of hand, the Cybercab has no steering wheel, accelerator pedal or brake pedal. Tesla designed the vehicle to operate without a human driver, relying on its autonomous-driving technology.
According to NHTSA, the inquiry will particularly examine whether Tesla’s certification relied on determining that certain federal safety standards were not applicable to the Cybercab because it was designed without conventional human driving controls.
“NHTSA fully supports the safe development and deployment of automated vehicles. But as the federal regulator, we need to ensure that all of our laws are followed,” NHTSA Administrator Jonathan Morrison said. “Our approach of balancing innovation with safety oversight will allow the United States to maintain its global leadership in AV innovation.”
NHTSA’s inquiry reportedly covers an estimated 1,000 Cybercabs, while Texas records show 45 Cybercabs currently registered to Tesla. The agency’s investigation does not currently order the company to stop operating the robotaxis or establish that the vehicles are unsafe.
“NHTSA’s Audit Query will evaluate the technical data and processes Tesla relied upon to self-certify compliance for a vehicle lacking traditional human controls,” the agency said. “The inquiry will examine whether Tesla’s compliance framework relied on determinations that certain standard FMVSS requirements are inapplicable to its automated vehicles.”