Tesla Marks Entire Cybercab Safety Reply to NHTSA Confidential
Tesla told NHTSA its full answer on how the Cybercab meets federal safety standards is confidential. What the agency asked and what comes next.
Tesla has answered federal safety regulators about how its Cybercab robotaxi, a car built without a steering wheel or pedals, was certified for public roads. The public version of that answer is a single line, according to Carscoops: “The entirety of this file is confidential business information.”
The filing went to NHTSA, the federal auto safety agency, which opened an inquiry into the Cybercab on the day the car launched. For now, owners, riders and other drivers have no public view of how Tesla says the car meets federal rules.
How the deadline played out
NHTSA sent Tesla a Special Order on Sept. 10 with 21 requests about the Cybercab’s certification. Tesla must answer each one under oath. The original due date was Sept. 30. Tesla asked for an eight-week extension, and the agency instead moved the deadline to Oct. 30, Carscoops reported. Tesla responded by that date, but asked that the whole response be withheld from the public.
What NHTSA wants Tesla to explain
Automakers in the United States certify their own vehicles. They declare that a car meets or exceeds the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards, the federal rules that cover equipment such as brakes, mirrors and turn signals. NHTSA’s questions focus on rules written for cars that a person drives.
One request asks how the Cybercab satisfies FMVSS 135, the brake standard. Its text says, “The service brakes shall be activated by means of a foot control.” Tesla has said openly that the car has no brake pedal.
The agency also asked about mirrors and about turn signals that switch off when the steering wheel turns back. Another question is whether Tesla used temporary controls to pass certification. If it did, Carscoops noted, that could conflict with separate rules that bar automakers from disabling required safety equipment.
What Tesla has made public
Tesla did publish a 30-page guide for first responders. In it, the company describes the Cybercab as usually built without a steering wheel or accelerator and brake pedals. That wording leaves open whether such controls can be fitted in some cases. Tesla has not said.
The guide also explains how emergency crews can move the car. A responder shows a badge to a camera in the B-pillar, the post between the front and rear doors. A Tesla representative checks the credentials, and driving controls then appear on the center touchscreen. Those on-screen controls do not answer NHTSA’s questions about physical controls required by the safety standards.
Why it matters for drivers and riders
The Cybercab is Tesla’s bid to run fully driverless robotaxis with no manual controls at all. Some federal safety standards, such as the brake rule, are written around a foot control and a steering wheel. NHTSA’s review tests whether a self-certified car without those parts can still meet them.
The confidentiality claim also limits what the public learns. People who share the road with the Cybercab, or who ride in one, cannot see Tesla’s case for why the car is compliant.
What happens next
NHTSA now decides whether Tesla’s filing really qualifies as confidential business information. If the agency agrees, the answers may never be released. If it disagrees, it has the authority to make the document public, according to Carscoops. The agency has not said when it will rule on the request or on the substance of Tesla’s answers.
Source: Carscoops
