The NHTSA Investigation Begins
Tesla's Cybercabs are officially now in service, providing autonomous rides to the public. However, almost immediately after these unique gold vehicles with gull-wing doors hit the streets of Austin, Texas at night, they found themselves under federal investigation. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has launched a probe that covers around 1,000 of the vehicles.
According to an official agency notice, Tesla began commercial service of the Cybercab with a small number of vehicles on a Thursday. This rollout occurred shortly after the automaker self-certified that its fleet was fully compliant with all relevant Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS). Regulators will now review the specific process and technical data that Tesla used to self-certify the new vehicle.
Regulatory Compliance and FMVSS
A central focus of the federal investigation involves these mandatory safety standards. The agency has officially opened an audit query to thoroughly examine the technical data and processes on which Tesla relied when certifying the Cybercab.
Among other issues, NHTSA will consider the extent to which Tesla's certification depended on internal determinations that certain FMVSS regulations are entirely inapplicable to the Cybercab.
NHTSA officials noted significant physical differences between the Cybercab and traditional consumer cars. "The vehicles lack permanently attached, conventional manual controls, such as a brake pedal, gas pedal, steering wheel and mirrors," the agency stated. The complete absence of these traditional driving mechanisms forms the core of the regulatory scrutiny surrounding the vehicle's compliance.
Fleet Size and Operations
Beyond the newly introduced Cybercab, the company is utilizing its existing vehicle lineup for autonomous commercial services. Tesla is currently offering robotaxi rides using standard Model Y vehicles across multiple major cities. These existing Model Y robotaxi operations are active in Dallas, Houston, Miami, Orlando, and Tampa.
Moving forward, the company indicated that it plans to expand its Cybercab operations by deploying more vehicles and launching in additional locations.