NHTSA may allow robotaxis without steering wheels — Tesla stands to gain most

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The NHTSA says it doesn’t make sense for robotaxis to have manual controls.

Tesla originally only ever intended to build the Cybercab without normal controls.

Recent Cybercab prototypes have been spied testing with a wheel and pedals.

If the current administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration gets his way, driverless cars sold in the United States could shed their steering wheels for good. A ruling like that would ripple through the robotaxi business, and Tesla, deep into developing and testing its Robocab, stands to gain more than almost anyone else.

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Speaking with CNBC , NHTSA administrator Jonathan Morrison said that, “If you’re developing a vehicle that is designed never to be driven by a human operator, it doesn’t make any sense to require manual controls.” Evidently, he was referring to companies that have deployed or are developing fully autonomous robotaxis, including Waymo and Tesla.

Read: The Feds Could Soon Clear The Way For A Tesla With No Brake Pedal

The agency moved last month to rework existing federal safety standards, and part of that effort would strip away the rule forcing autonomous vehicles to carry manual brake pedals.

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Tesla To Benefit

If these changes are implemented, Tesla will reap the rewards. Its Cybercab, unveiled in late 2024, was originally conceived without a steering wheel or pedals, aiming to be fully autonomous, all the time.

However, last year, Tesla board chair Robyn Denholm acknowledged that, given the regulatory landscape at the time, Tesla would equip the robotaxi with a steering wheel and pedals if necessary . Before long, it had been seen testing multiple Cybercabs with these traditional controls.

Even if the law eventually lets Tesla sell the Cybercab stripped of a wheel and pedals, building it both ways would be the smarter play. Fleet versions could go without, while private buyers might want to drive their own Cybercabs part of the time and then turn them loose as autonomous taxis to earn their keep. One car, two lives, depending on who is behind the glass.

There’s no word on whether Elon Musk, who contributed hundreds of millions of dollars to President Trump’s campaign, has had any sway on the NHTSA rushing to update its regulations.

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