As we all know by now, Tesla officially launched its Cybercab in Austin, Texas, this week. The custom-designed robotaxi doesn’t include a steering wheel, pedals, or side mirrors. However, there’s apparently some concern that this wasn’t done appropriately or legally. The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is reportedly investigating the matter. One key thing here is that the NHTSA has proposed (in June) that the US government no longer require manual brake pedals for fully self-driving vehicles, but that’s just a proposal at the moment, and the NHTSA notes that the requirement is still in place today. “The auto safety regulator is examining the process and technical data the EV maker relied on to demonstrate compliance with federal motor vehicle safety standards for up to 1,000 Cybercabs,” Reuters writes. “Automakers must certify vehicles meet the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards, and when certified vehicles appear to not adhere to these requirements, NHTSA investigates, the agency said Friday.” Hmm…. I almost put the following at the end of the headline, though: “But Does It Matter?” What is this investigation going to actually do or lead to even if it is the case that Tesla launched vehicles that don’t have appropriate approval? Is the Trump-led NHTSA going to make Tesla take the cars off the road? Tesla will probably just get a slap on the wrist, if anything at all. “The agency is investigating the basis of Tesla’s Cybercab certification and related issues, including the extent to which the company determined that certain standards were not applicable to the vehicle,” Reuters adds. (I’m not really sure what all of this means. Is there a requirement to have manual brakes, steering wheels, and other controls or not?) “NHTSA fully supports the safe development and deployment of automated vehicles. But as the federal regulator, we need to ensure that all of our laws are followed,” noted NHTSA Administrator Jonathan Morrison. Hmm, yeah, how? Some of you may be thinking about the approval Zoox got about a month ago to roll out paid robotaxis on US roads. Why can’t Tesla do the same? Well, for one, Zoox petitioned the NHTSA for that, whereas Tesla has filed no such petition. Honestly, the whole thing is just weird to me. I don’t expect Tesla to get in much trouble (because of the obvious corruption and double standards at play in the US under Donald Trump), but brazenly rolling out robotaxis that clearly don’t have required approval from the US government? Throw on the fact that Elon Musk wasn’t even at the launch of the Cybercab and the event wasn’t livestreamed, and there’s just a lot about this launch that is strange and a bit bewildering. It feels rushed, but it’s also something long, long, long in the plans. So, what is going on? One thing that may be at play is that Tesla has been producing Cybercabs for a while and probably needs to engage in some financial engineering and storytelling quickly before the next quarter ends and financials come out. But, again, why wasn’t Musk at the event? This is the big thing he’s been hyping and focusing on for about a decade. There’s a lot about the Cybercab launch that’s strange. Maybe the NHTSA investigation will bring a little more out about it.