Tesla shares fell around 6% after a Cybercab update that landed badly and after NHTSA opened an investigation into how the company certified a vehicle with no steering wheel, pedals or mirrors. Amazon’s Zoox petitioned for an exemption and was approved in July; Tesla self-certified and did not petition. The complication is that NHTSA is already proposing to remove the brake pedal requirement for automated-only vehicles.
Tesla shares fell around 6% on Friday after a Cybercab update that landed badly, and after the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration opened an investigation into how the company certified the vehicle, as CNBC reported. The regulator is examining the process and technical data Tesla used to demonstrate compliance with federal motor vehicle safety standards for up to 1,000 Cybercabs.
The car has no steering wheel, no brake or accelerator pedal and no mirrors. NHTSA has said Tesla did not petition for an exemption from the standards those omissions engage.
The comparison that frames it
Amazon’s Zoox took the other route. It petitioned NHTSA and received approval in July for limited commercial deployment of its own steering-wheel-free robotaxi.
