Tesla's Cybercab Lacks Steering Wheel, Pedals; NHTSA Wants Answers by Sept. 30

Tesla's newly unveiled Cybercab is drawing regulatory scrutiny after reports confirmed the vehicle is built without a steering wheel, pedals, or certain sensors typically found in passenger cars, according to Yahoo Finance. The design reflects Tesla's ambition to bring a fully autonomous robotaxi to market, but it has also caught the attention of federal safety regulators.

NHTSA Sets a Deadline

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is reportedly seeking answers from Tesla about the Cybercab's design and capabilities, with a response requested by September 30, Yahoo Finance reported. The absence of conventional manual controls raises questions about how the vehicle would comply with existing federal motor vehicle safety standards, many of which were written with human-operated cars in mind.

A Bet on Full Autonomy

By removing the steering wheel and pedals entirely, Tesla is signaling confidence in its self-driving technology and a willingness to bypass the traditional driver-optional approach used by some competitors. However, the report notes that the Cybercab also lacks certain sensors, which could factor into how regulators evaluate the vehicle's safety case as they weigh in ahead of any potential public rollout.

The outcome of the NHTSA inquiry could shape the timeline for Cybercab's deployment and set a precedent for how U.S. regulators handle vehicles designed from the ground up for driverless operation, rather than retrofitted human-driven cars. Tesla has not publicly detailed how it plans to address the agency's questions, according to the report.

Source: Yahoo Finance