The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has proposed amendments to the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS), which could provide significant support for Elon Musk's Cybercab initiative.
In documents submitted on Monday, the agency suggested revising FMVSS No. 102, which governs "transmission shift sequence, starter interlock, and transmission braking effect." The proposed changes specify that autonomous vehicles without steering wheels or pedals will not be required to have gear position indicators.
NHTSA stated in the filing: "Since transmission shift position displays cannot serve the same safety needs for vehicles equipped with Automated Driving Systems (ADS) and lacking manual driving controls, this amendment will not compromise vehicle safety." The revision will not apply to conventional vehicles.
This regulatory update may offer a major boost for Musk's Cybercab, which is designed without a steering wheel or pedals and is slated for production at Tesla's Gigafactory in Texas. Reports indicate that the company has established a production line capable of manufacturing hundreds of Cybercab units per week.
Earlier, Tesla showcased the first production version of the vehicle on social media. Musk has previously confirmed that the Cybercab is expected to be priced around $30,000 or less. The billionaire earlier indicated that initial production would be "extremely slow" before accelerating over time.
Comments