Tesla’s Cybercab Is In Trouble
Federal regulators have given Tesla less than two weeks to answer sworn questions about its Cybercab program, and the stakes go far beyond one automaker's ambitions.
The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration wants Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA | TSLA Price Prediction) to answer questions about its Cybercab plans. And it wants those answers in less than two weeks. The answers must be “sworn testimony.”
Among other things, the NHTSA wants to know whether humans will be at the controls, at least in the early phases of the certification process. Reuters reports issues with “other equipment,” in the cabs.
Earlier this month, Tesla had a small number of these vehicles operating in Austin. But they lacked manual controls like traditional brakes. It appeared the government would finally approve tests without most of these features. However, Reuters reports that under existing law, fully self-driving vehicles do not need NHTSA approval if they have steering wheels, brake pedals, mirrors, and other features of human-controlled vehicles.
This Tesla problem is part of the on-again, off-again challenge to get autonomous vehicles on the road. Any company in the business has similar problems; Waymo cars had trouble on freeways. Yahoo recently reported, “The planned London rollout of robotaxis is delayed due to complex regulatory approvals from Transport for London (TfL) and a lack of specific operational guidance. A median launch date is now expected closer to late 2027.”
Autonomous vehicles are being tested across a dozen US cities. They face federal regulation. They also face rules set by local governments. Officials worry that every time there is an accident, even a small one, attention will turn to whether these vehicles are safe.
What is on the line? Certainly billions of dollars in investments from Google, Tesla, and smaller competitors. Certainly, the question of whether they will be approved to operate in every city and town, and on freeways.
Tesla has another roadblock, unless its “sworn testimony” is enough.
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Douglas A. McIntyre is the co-founder, chief executive officer and editor in chief of 24/7 Wall St. and 24/7 Tempo. He has held these jobs since 2006.
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