Tesla's Cybercab launch catches the eye of US auto safety regulator

Shortly after Tesla launched its Cybercabs to customers on Thursday, NHTSA announced an investigation. Tesla Tesla's Cybercab robotaxis launched in Austin on Thursday. The company is already facing an NHTSA probe. The US auto safety agency is looking into Tesla's self-certification of its autonomous, steering-wheel-less car. It doesn't mean the Cybercabs are stopping or unsafe. Federal rules just might not have caught up. Tesla's Cybercab is live in Austin. Now, regulators in Washington are asking to check the EV-maker's homework. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, or NHTSA, opened an audit inquiry late Thursday into Tesla's Cybercab certification. The move came hours after Tesla's commercial deployment of a small number of Cybercabs in Austin, which joined its robotaxi network. Texas DMV records list 45 Cybercabs registered to Tesla. The vehicle has yet to be made available to purchase to consumers. "NHTSA fully supports the safe development and deployment of automated vehicles," Jonathan Morrison, the agency's administrator, wrote in a statement sent to Business Insider. "But as the federal regulator, we need to ensure that all of our laws are followed." NHTSA's