Recently, Tesla's Robotaxi service began operating in Austin, and almost immediately, the company decided it would prefer you didn't see its homework. Before the launch, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) sent Tesla a letter with a deadline of June 19th to answer some questions.
Now that Tesla has replied, it has requested that the NHTSA withhold the entire response from the public, classifying it as confidential business information. This isn't too surprising, as the company is notoriously secretive about its performance data, especially in areas like Autopilot and Full Self-Driving. Here are a few paraphrased versions of the questions Tesla faced:
- How will the system handle bad weather or poor visibility?
- What happens if the system detects that it cannot drive safely? Does it pull over?
- Will a human be monitoring the cars remotely or in person?
- Does the system follow any existing industry standards for autonomous driving?
- When does Tesla plan to let other people operate their own cars as robotaxis?
The feds have good reason to ask. On its first day, Tesla's Robotaxi service was caught on video making some questionable moves, including driving in the wrong lane against traffic, as seen below (full video here). The clip was also shared in our community forums, though you'll need a free membership to access the off-topic section.
Here's another showing a Robotaxi dropping passengers in the middle of an intersection. For now, the service runs with a human safety driver (likely a Tesla employee) in the passenger seat. Billionaire Dan O'Dowd, a persistent critic of Tesla's software, felt the company's launch was lackluster, and the videos circulating online demonstrate that the technology is years behind competitors like Waymo, which has operated without in-car supervisors since 2019.
For its part, NHTSA acknowledged being aware of the widely reported incidents and is in contact with Tesla to get more information. The agency's statement reminded the public that manufacturers self-certify their vehicles' safety, and NHTSA's role is to investigate and act on safety problems after they are on the road:
NHTSA is aware of the referenced incidents and is in contact with the manufacturer to gather additional information. NHTSA will continue to enforce the law on all manufacturers of motor vehicles and equipment, in accordance with the Vehicle Safety Act and our data-driven, risk-based investigative process.
Under U.S. law, NHTSA does not pre-approve new technologies or vehicle systems – rather, manufacturers certify that each vehicle meets NHTSA’s rigorous safety standards, and the agency investigates incidents involving potential safety defects. Following an assessment of those reports and other relevant information, NHTSA will take any necessary actions to protect road safety.
This situation gets even more interesting when you look at the bigger picture. Musk has already been criticized for his role in the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which has led to job cuts at agencies that oversee his companies, including the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for SpaceX, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for Neuralink, and, of course, NHTSA.
This has led some to worry about regulatory capture. As one cynical comment on Electrek's article notes, the official who signed the letter to Tesla, Tanya Topka, Director of NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation, may have put a target on her back just for trying to hold the company accountable.
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