Tesla’s Cybercab May Feature a Steering Wheel
▼ Summary
– Tesla’s Cybercab may need to include a steering wheel due to regulatory requirements, despite its intended design as a fully autonomous vehicle.
– Tesla’s board chair revealed that including a steering wheel and pedals could help avoid delays in regulatory approval for public road use.
– The Cybercab was originally unveiled without a steering wheel to emphasize its purpose-built autonomous nature and inability for manual control.
– Regulatory exemptions for steering wheel-less vehicles are limited to 2,500 units per year, which would restrict Tesla’s production and business plans.
– The US Department of Transportation aims to streamline exemption processes, but political and personal disputes could complicate Tesla’s regulatory progress.
The highly anticipated Tesla Cybercab, slated for a 2026 production start, might surprisingly retain a traditional steering wheel despite its intended role as a fully autonomous vehicle. This potential design shift stems from regulatory hurdles that could significantly delay the vehicle’s launch if it lacks conventional controls. Tesla’s board chair Robyn Denholm revealed in a Bloomberg interview that including a steering wheel and pedals remains a practical option to navigate existing federal safety standards, which mandate such equipment for road-legal vehicles.
During last year’s Hollywood unveiling, Elon Musk presented the sleek two-seater Cybercab as a bold vision for self-driving transportation, with the absent steering wheel symbolizing its dedicated autonomous nature. Removing manual controls was meant to demonstrate Tesla’s commitment to creating a vehicle designed exclusively for driverless operation from its foundation. However, this ambitious approach carries substantial risks, as regulatory approval for steering wheel-free cars can stretch over many months or even years.
General Motors’ experience with its Cruise Origin shuttle illustrates the challenges. GM spent years seeking an exemption for its wheel-less autonomous vehicle, only to ultimately cancel the program after safety issues emerged and regulatory approval remained elusive. Even if Tesla successfully obtains a similar exemption, current regulations would limit production to just 2,500 vehicles annually, a constraint that would severely hinder Tesla’s broader strategy to transform into an AI and robotics leader.
The U.S. Department of Transportation under Secretary Sean Duffy has expressed interest in streamlining exemption processes to accelerate autonomous vehicle deployment. However, raising the annual vehicle cap requires Congressional action, which faces significant political hurdles. Further complicating Tesla’s regulatory landscape is the emerging tension between Duffy and Musk, despite their previously collaborative relationship. Their current disagreement over SpaceX contracts introduces additional uncertainty into the regulatory environment that will determine the Cybercab’s final design and rollout timeline.
(Source: The Verge)
