SAN FRANCISCO, Sept 4 (Reuters) - Tesla's TSLA.O race to deploy Cybercab robotaxis will put regulatory limits to the test as the EV maker begins rides in the sporty, two-seaters that run without a steering wheel, pedals or mirrors.
Just hours after an event in downtown Austin, Texas, to mark the rollout, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said it opened an audit of about 1,000 Cybercab vehicles to assess how Tesla determined the cars comply with federal vehicle-safety regulations.
U.S. regulators limit commercial deployment of vehicles that do not adhere to decades-old federal safety standards that were written for human-driven vehicles and require manual controls. But industry experts said regulatory gray areas and Elon Musk's litigious track record could give Tesla a chance to force the Cybercab into broad use anyway.
Amid a frenzy of fans and social media influencers in downtown Austin, Texas, Cybercabs were added to Tesla's robotaxi fleet that now operates its best-selling Model Y SUVs. Tesla said Cybercab rides were open to everyone and executives described pricing plans, without specifically saying whether they were starting to charge.
The golden, butterfly-door Cybercab embodies Musk's strategy of betting the company on self-driving software and robotics. That bet has pushed its stock valuation to $1.4 trillion, more than the top several global automakers combined.
Unlike most other countries, where new vehicle models and technology need regulatory clearance ahead of launch, automakers in the United States can deploy them on the public roads by self-certifying that they meet federal standards.
"I don't think there is a reasonable interpretation that can be made to suggest that the Cybercab can comply with the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards," said Michael Brooks, executive director of the Center for Auto Safety, a consumer advocacy group.
While NHTSA is pushing faster than usual to change vehicle-safety standards and separately drafting new rules to accommodate driverless vehicles, its efforts, experts have said, are likely to take longer to kick in than what Musk is promising.
Musk is not known to wait for regulations, though. "Tesla historically has tested limits and pushed boundaries on regulations," said Philip Koopman, a Carnegie Mellon University engineering professor and autonomous-vehicle safety expert. "I fully expect Tesla to test the limits."
Musk could come up with a "creative interpretation" of vehicle regulation, say that Cybercabs comply with federal standards and "flood the market" with them, Koopman said. "That could take NHTSA or state regulators years to resolve. Meanwhile, Tesla could be operating on public roads."
Tesla did not respond to requests for comment.
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