The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), a key U.S. federal regulatory body, has launched an investigation into Tesla’s Cybercab project, focusing on the safety standards certification of this steering wheel-free robotaxi. The probe involves roughly 1,000 vehicles that have already been deployed for commercial operations in Austin, Texas, where consumers can hail them via ride-hailing apps. The Cybercab, notable for its omission of a steering wheel, pedals, and rearview mirrors, employs a pure vision Full Self-Driving (FSD) system. This system leverages eight high-definition cameras to enable autonomous driving capabilities. Tesla has affirmed that the vehicles in question meet all applicable Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards and intends to progressively broaden the deployment area. The NHTSA’s review will scrutinize Tesla’s certification procedures and technical documentation, with a particular emphasis on whether Tesla appropriately determined that certain safety standards were not applicable to the Cybercab before completing its certification.