OPINION · Opinion
Take the Time, Tesla: The NHTSA Extension Is the Smart Play for Cybercab
Tesla has more time to answer federal regulators' questions about how it certified the Cybercab. A complete answer is worth more than a fast one, and the cars keep building their record on the road.
Harper Quinn, Opinion, Live desk
Published · 2 min read
Tesla has more time to answer federal regulators' questions about the Cybercab. That is good news, not a setback.
After the Cybercab's Austin launch on Sept. 3, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration opened an audit query into the process and data Tesla relied on to self-certify a car with no steering wheel and no pedals. The agency set a Sept. 30 deadline for answers to its questions, 21 of them by the count of Robotaxi Radar, an account that tracks Tesla's driverless rollout. Tesla obtained an extension, an agency spokesperson told CNBC. The new date has not been made public.
An audit query is not a recall, and an extension is not a finding. Asking for more time is a normal step when the questions are detailed and the answers will set a precedent. These answers will. The Cybercab is the first Tesla built with no way to drive it by hand, and what Tesla tells NHTSA will help shape how the agency treats cars designed like it.
Getting it right matters more than getting it fast. Robotaxi Radar noted that NHTSA has no hard deadline of its own once it reviews a response, and that Tesla can ask for sensitive technical material to be redacted. A careful answer that settles the agency's questions the first time is worth more than a quick one that invites a second round.
Meanwhile, the Cybercab keeps building its record on the road. CNBC reported that no significant safety incidents or collisions had been reported in Austin involving a Cybercab since the commercial debut. Tesla had 169 Cybercabs authorized for commercial use in Texas as of Oct. 2, up from 45 at launch, according to state records cited by CNBC. This week, a drone pilot estimated up to 200 Cybercabs at Tesla's Houston lot, and a carrier of decaled cabs was seen heading out of Giga Texas.
Washington has its own calendar. NHTSA plans to update the public on Dec. 1 on its rewrite of the federal rules for automated vehicles, including the safety standards written for cars with steering wheels and pedals. Every month of clean miles in Austin before then is evidence that the rules should make room for vehicles built this way.
Tesla should take the time it needs and answer every question in full. On the street, the cars are already making the case.
