Tesla says its steering-wheel-free Cybercab will reach customers by the end of 2026. At the same time, NHTSA is examining how Tesla certified the vehicle under federal safety standards. Tesla discussed the timeline on its earnings call.
Tesla plans to put Cybercab robotaxis in customers' hands by the end of 2026, while federal safety regulators ask pointed questions about the car. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has opened an inquiry into how Tesla certified the Cybercab under federal safety rules.
Tesla outlines Cybercab rollout on its Q3 call
The timeline came up during Tesla's Q3 2026 earnings call on October 21, where Lars Moravy, VP of Vehicle Engineering, stressed the year-end delivery target. The Cybercab has no steering wheel and no pedals.
Ashok Elluswamy, Tesla's AI chief, said Tesla intends to bring Cybercab operations to Dallas in November 2026. He also described a goal of running 24/7 robotaxi service in several cities by year-end.
CEO Elon Musk indicated that most Cybercabs will run inside Tesla's own transport-as-a-service fleet rather than sell outright to consumers.
NHTSA opens audit query AQ26002
NHTSA confirmed it had opened an Audit Query, designated AQ26002, focused on Tesla's self-certification of the Cybercab's compliance with the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS). The probe questions Tesla's position that certain safety standards do not apply to the car.
The sticking point is the cabin layout. The Cybercab lacks a steering wheel, pedals and mirrors, all controls that traditional vehicle standards were written around.
The inquiry covers up to 1,000 vehicles from the Cybercab fleet. It followed the commercial launch of Cybercab paid rides in Austin on September 3, 2026.
Response due October 30
Tesla received a 30-day extension, pushing its response deadline to October 30, 2026. The sequence is tight: paid rides began in early September, the earnings call landed October 21, and the answers to regulators are due nine days later.
An audit query is a request for information, not a recall or a sales ban. Still, the questions go to the core of the product's design, and if regulators disagree with Tesla's reading of which standards apply, the fix is not a software patch.
Source: Crypto Briefing
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