Tesla's driverless Cybercab is barely on public roads, and federal regulators already want answers.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has opened an audit query into the Cybercab, Tesla's robotaxi concept, to examine the process and technical data behind how the company certified it for public roads. The vehicle ships without side mirrors, pedals, or a steering wheel, features that Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards typically require. NHTSA hasn't ordered a recall or pulled the car off the road. It's asking Tesla to show its work on how it decided the design met the law in the first place.
The timing is the real story. Tesla has spent years telling investors that robotaxis were close, and the Cybercab was meant to be the proof. An audit into whether the car clears baseline federal safety requirements arrives before it has carried a single paying rider, which is a rough start for a vehicle built to symbolize Tesla's autonomy bet.
Mirrors and steering wheels sound like styling footnotes until you remember they are legal requirements, not preferences. Tesla is wagering its robotaxi pitch on removing driver controls entirely, and regulators have not yet said that bet is allowed.