Tesla hasn't sought Cybercab regulatory approval

Tesla has not applied for the federal exemption that would let it put a Cybercab with no steering wheel or pedals into service, according to Axios reporting published August 5. The report came less than a week after the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said it would allow Zoox to commercially deploy a purpose-built robotaxi without traditional driver controls. Tesla’s live robotaxi service, by contrast, is currently built around Model Y vehicles, according to the company’s website. Tesla says on its Robotaxi page that Cybercab will offer rides “in the future.” ### What approval would Tesla need for a Cybercab with no steering wheel or pedals? NHTSA said on July 30 that it was streamlining automated-vehicle exemptions and allowing Zoox to commercially deploy robotaxis without steering wheels or pedals. The agency said the exemption process can permit manufacturers to sell up to 2,500 vehicles per year that do not fully comply with federal motor vehicle safety standards, including requirements tied to manual controls. (axios.com) Axios reported that Tesla “hasn't tried to seek regulatory approval” for its driverless Cybercab and is now less likely to need that route immediately after Zoox won clearance. The Axios report did not say Tesla had filed and been denied; it said Tesla had not sought the approval. ### If Tesla is already running robotaxis, what vehicles is it using now? Tesla’s Robotaxi site says autonomous rides are currently being offered with Model Y vehicles in Austin, Dallas and Houston in Texas, and in Miami, Orlando and Tampa in Florida. (nhtsa.gov) The same page separates those current operations from Cybercab, saying the purpose-built vehicle will offer rides later. Tesla’s support page describes Robotaxi as point-to-point autonomous transportation and links riders to the company’s app. (axios.com) Tesla also maintains first-responder information pages for Robotaxi and Cybercab, but those pages do not indicate that Cybercab has entered commercial service. ### What do the reported Austin crash numbers actually describe? Autonocion reported on August 5 that Tesla’s Austin robotaxi operation had logged 14 crashes in about 800,000 miles, which works out to roughly one crash every 57,000 miles. (tesla.com) The article said those operations involved “a paid human sitting in the front seat,” meaning the reported incidents were not described as fully empty-front-seat deployments. (tesla.com) Autonocion’s separate report on Tesla’s robotaxi testing in Phoenix repeated a similar crash-rate range of one incident every 57,000 to 62,000 miles and said a human monitor was present. Those figures come from Autonocion’s reporting, not from a federal crash database summary released by NHTSA in the material reviewed here. ### How does Zoox’s exemption change the comparison with Tesla? Zoox received a regulatory path that is directly relevant to a purpose-built robotaxi because its vehicle is designed without conventional driver controls. (autonocion.com) NHTSA described the move as the commercial deployment of Zoox robotaxis and part of a broader push to accelerate automated-vehicle development. Tesla’s current setup does not yet require that same exemption if it continues using Model Y vehicles with conventional controls. (autonocion.com) That leaves Tesla operating a service today while still not having sought the distinct federal approval that a fully driverless Cybercab would need, according to Axios. ### What should readers watch next? Tesla’s next concrete step on Cybercab would be a filing for a federal exemption or another regulatory disclosure showing how it plans to deploy a vehicle without a steering wheel or pedals. (nhtsa.gov) NHTSA’s exemption process and future automated-vehicle standards will be the public record to watch, while Tesla’s Robotaxi page remains the company’s current guide to where Model Y service is operating and whether Cybercab moves from “future” to active service. (axios.com)