The US vehicle safety regulator, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), said it has opened an audit of about 1,000 Tesla Cybercabs to assess how the carmaker self-certified the vehicles, after Tesla began offering paid rides in the Cybercab in Austin.
The NHTSA statement came hours after Tesla held an event on 3 September in downtown Austin, Texas, to mark the addition of the Cybercab to its automated taxi fleet, which operates a limited service in Texas and Florida.
Tesla predominantly operates the service using Model Y electric cars that include human controls such as a steering wheel, pedals and rear-view mirrors, and human backup drivers are also present for some rides.
Image credit: Tesla
Self-certification
