The US federal safety agency announced on Friday (4) that it will conduct an investigation into the Cybercab, Tesla's fully automated vehicle that operates without a steering wheel or pedals. The car entered commercial service recently in the city of Austin, Texas, operating as an autonomous taxi ride-hailing application.
The audit aims to determine the process and techniques used by Tesla to certify the Cybercab, according to a notice published on the regulatory agency's website. Current federal regulations require the presence of a steering wheel and pedals for any commercial operation, unless a specific exemption is obtained. Tesla, however, claims it does not need this requirement.
First presented in October 2024, the golden vehicle was designed specifically to offer autonomous taxi services, with capacity for two passengers. On Thursday, CEO Elon Musk published an image of the Cybercab on his Facebook account.
The investigation occurs at a time of expansion of the automaker's autonomous vehicle services, as it seeks to consolidate its position in the driverless mobility market in the United States.
