After Tesla launched its first batch of Cybercab in Austin, Texas, market attention quickly shifted from the launch event to compliance issues. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) initiated an investigation just hours after the vehicles hit the roads, with a focus on the absence of a steering wheel and pedals in this model.

Flat market reaction after the event

The report mentioned that this Cybercab event failed to significantly boost confidence on Wall Street, and the atmosphere at the scene was also quieter than at previous Tesla press conferences. The fact that Elon Musk himself did not attend also drew external attention.

For investors and the industry, what is more important is not the demonstration phase, but whether Tesla can safely roll out robot taxi services on a larger scale. At present, Tesla is still some way from achieving this goal.

45 vehicles were inspected as soon as they hit the road

According to Texas' autonomous vehicle tracking data, Tesla currently has 45 Cybercab vehicles registered. Compared to the public operations of Waymo which have been launched in multiple cities, this scale is still relatively small.

The investigation of NHTSA focuses on vehicle design. Cybercab does not have a steering wheel or pedals, whereas current federal motor vehicle safety regulations typically require the retention of manual control devices. Although the US Department of Transportation has recently proposed relaxing such requirements, the new rules have not yet been officially implemented.

• 45 vehicles registered in Texas Cybercab
• The investigating agency is the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration of the United States.
• The controversy lies in the absence of a steering wheel and pedals.

The divergence in routes between Tesla and Waymo is widening.

Tesla has adopted its own certification process this time, which is a common practice among traditional automakers, but it is usually applicable to manned vehicles. The intervention of regulatory authorities at this point indicates that the commercial advancement pace of Cybercab may slow down.

At the same time, Waymo continues to expand its service range before and after Tesla events, and publicly emphasizes that fully autonomous driving requires the coordination of multiple sensors; relying solely on end-to-end AI is still not sufficient in terms of safety. Zoox has also expanded its airport pick-up and drop-off services in Las Vegas.

The industry simultaneously experiences financing and layoffs.

This article also summarizes various developments in the travel industry, including autonomous driving, drones, and financing for new energy companies. Uber also announced layoffs of about 3,300 people, which accounts for approximately 10% of its global workforce, and integrated its engineering, science, and delivery departments.

From the current progress, Cybercab has already completed the initial steps of getting on the market, but what truly determines the business's prospects are still the regulatory attitude, actual security performance, and the ability for subsequent expansion.