The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration began rulemaking on Thursday to update federal motor vehicle safety standards for autonomous vehicles. The changes would remove requirements for manual brake pedals in vehicles designed exclusively for automated driving systems. Tesla's Cybercab stands to benefit from the proposed revisions.
On Thursday, NHTSA under the U.S. Department of Transportation started the process to revise FMVSS No. 135. The update eliminates mandates for hand- or foot-operated brake controls on vehicles built never to be operated by a human driver. All vehicles must still meet existing stopping distance criteria through alternative testing.
NHTSA Administrator Jonathan Morrison said the agency is reimagining its regulatory framework. "We are at the cusp of the greatest technological revolution in vehicle technology since the innovation of the Model T," he stated. The effort aims to remove barriers while holding developers accountable for safe performance.
Tesla has already placed the Cybercab into mass production at Gigafactory Texas in April. The vehicle is planned for use in the company's Robotaxi fleet once supporting regulatory frameworks are in place.
