Update, Oct. 25: NHTSA followed its audit query with a 21-request special order on Sept. 10 and has given Tesla until Oct. 30 to answer it, after Tesla asked for more time, EVwire reported. The order asks for information and makes no finding of noncompliance.
Tesla’s Cybercab, the two-seat robotaxi with no steering wheel, pedals or mirrors, began taking rides in Austin after a private launch event Thursday. Within hours, federal regulators said they were looking into whether the car should be on the road at all.
The launch was unusually quiet for Tesla. There was no livestream and no press, and the invite list was mostly pro-Tesla content creators, The Verge reported. Elon Musk did not attend. TechCrunch said the keynote ran about 15 minutes, with many details left to PDFs, updated Robotaxi app terms and posts from invitees.
Regulators open an audit query
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration opened an Audit Query into how Tesla certified the Cybercab as meeting all federal motor vehicle safety standards. The agency’s filing lists an estimated population of 1,000 vehicles and says it will examine whether Tesla’s certification relied on deciding that certain standards don’t apply to a car without manual controls.
Driverless vehicles of unusual shape have been told to seek an exemption first. Zoox won the first one this summer, capped at 2,500 vehicles this year, WIRED reported. Tesla says it doesn’t need one because the Cybercab complies with existing rules. “As the federal regulator, we need to ensure that all of our laws are followed,” NHTSA Administrator Jonathan Morrison said in a statement to WIRED. The agency is separately revising eight standards, including those that require brake pedals and rearview mirrors.
The fine print
Children under 13 can’t ride in the Cybercab “at this time,” and the car has no LATCH anchors, so child seats attach with the seat belt, according to TechCrunch. Riders 8 to 17 are allowed in Tesla’s Model Y robotaxis, and anyone under 18 must be accompanied by an adult in either vehicle.
Tesla’s documents also spell out what happens after a crash: airbags deploy, the doors unlock, the high-voltage battery is disabled, the windows drop to vent, the car brakes to a stop and parks, and the screen opens a two-way link to rider support. The car uses brake-by-wire, and the interior manual door release sits on each armrest.
EPA filings cited by The Verge describe a single 219-horsepower front motor, a 48 kWh battery and a curb weight of 3,113 pounds, about 700 pounds lighter than the lightest Model 3.
A small fleet for now
Texas records show 45 Cybercabs registered. Counting them, Tesla runs 256 unsupervised vehicles across six cities, according to Robotaxi Tracker figures cited by The Verge, while Waymo operates about 4,000 in 14 cities. Musk once said the Cybercab could sell for as little as $30,000, but Tesla hasn’t said when it will go on sale to consumers.
It is, however, asking businesses whether they want in. A new interest form lists Cybercab fleet purchasing, mobility hubs and infrastructure, and event collaboration as options.
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