US opens probe into Tesla self-certification of Cybercab robotaxis

The U.S. ​National Highway Traffic Safety Administration on Friday opened an ​investigation into whether Tesla properly certified its autonomous Cybercab ‌robotaxi. The ​auto safety regulator is examining the process and technical data the EV maker relied on to demonstrate compliance with federal motor vehicle safety standards for up to 1,000 Cybercabs.

Tesla ‌on Thursday began commercial deployment of a small number of the two-seater Cybercabs in Austin, Texas, and said it planned to gradually expand the service to additional vehicles and locations. NHTSA said the Cybercab lacks conventional manual controls, including a steering wheel, brake ‌pedal, accelerator pedal and mirrors.

Automakers must certify vehicles meet the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards, and when certified vehicles appear ‌to not adhere to these requirements, NHTSA investigates, the agency said Friday. In June, the agency proposed to end a government requirement for manual brake pedals in self-driving vehicles, a move that would make it easier to deploy such vehicles on U.S. roads. It has proposed other changes to federal safety ⁠standards ​to allow AVs to avoid needing ⁠additional human driver equipment.

Until that work is completed, existing standards remain in force, NHTSA said. "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,” said NHTSA Administrator Jonathan Morrison.

The agency ​is investigating the basis of Tesla's Cybercab certification and related issues, including the extent to which the company determined ⁠that certain standards were not applicable to the vehicle. Tesla did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The EV maker had 420 autonomous vehicles ⁠registered ​in Texas as of Friday morning, according to state records, including 45 Cybercab vehicles. Under existing law, fully self-driving vehicles do not need NHTSA approval if they have required human controls, like steering wheels, brake pedals or mirrors.

NHTSA has authority to ⁠grant petitions to allow up to 2,500 vehicles per manufacturer yearly to operate on U.S. roads without required human controls. ⁠In July, NHTSA approved a petition ⁠for Amazon's Zoox unit for limited commercial deployment of its novel steering-wheel-free robotaxis, a first for the autonomous ride industry. NHTSA said previously Tesla had not petitioned for an exemption.