The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has opened an investigation into Tesla's newly launched steering-wheel-free taxis, known as Cybercabs, to determine if they comply with federal safety regulations. The probe comes just one day after the company, led by Elon Musk, began offering rides in the vehicles in Austin, Texas.
NHTSA is examining whether the two-seater vehicles, which lack steering wheels, mirrors, and brake pedals typically required for all vehicles, meet federal rules. Musk initiated the Cybercab service on Thursday, deploying numerous futuristic taxis throughout Austin and hosting a launch event. Tesla stock saw a decline of over 5% in early trading on Friday following the announcement of the investigation.
Prior to the launch, Tesla stated it had used a self-certification process to ensure the Cybercabs met standards. However, NHTSA has expressed uncertainty and will now conduct an audit to review the process and technical data Tesla used for this certification.
The Austin service is the initial phase of what Musk envisions as a nationwide rollout of an affordable, driverless taxi service intended to revolutionize travel. These Cybercabs are planned for integration into Tesla's existing robotaxi network, which has been operating in Austin for over a year and has expanded to include five other cities in Texas and Florida.
This investigation adds to several ongoing federal probes into the safety of Tesla's self-driving software. Previous investigations have focused on the software's alleged role in crashes occurring in low-visibility conditions, including an incident where a pedestrian was killed. Other inquiries are examining instances where Teslas using partial self-driving features have run red lights or driven on the wrong side of the road, resulting in collisions and injuries. A separate probe is also investigating Tesla's compliance with regulations regarding prompt reporting of crashes.