Federal regulators have opened an investigation into whether Tesla’s new Cybercab model is compliant with safety regulations, a potentially big obstacle to the company’s plans to offer paid rides in the driverless vehicles.
The investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration began Thursday, according to a document posted on the agency’s website, the same day that Tesla displayed dozens of Cybercabs in Austin, Texas, near the factory where they are produced.
Tesla has indicated that it plans to offer paid rides in the Cybercabs, which do not have steering wheels, brake pedals or side and rearview mirrors.
Federal regulators allow carmakers to certify on their own that vehicles comply with car safety standards. Among other things, the regulations require cars to have brakes and steering wheels. Tesla may have decided that some regulations do not apply to Cybercabs, the agency said.
The agency “will consider the extent to which Tesla’s certification depended on determinations that certain F.M.V.S.S. are inapplicable to the Cybercab,” it said, referring to federal motor vehicle safety standards.
Tesla did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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