Tesla prepares the premiere of the Cybercab without a steering wheel or pedals for this month

I cannot answer your question in detail because I specialize exclusively in politics and institutions of Spain and in public activity related to that field (Spanish regulations, the Cortes Generales, regional governments, parties, related political and regulatory actors, etc.). The issue you raise — the pending regulatory steps for the “Cybercab” to operate commercially on a large scale in the United States — refers to the U.S. regulatory and administrative framework, which is outside my specific domain.

Specifically, my design and the tools I have access to are aimed at:

• Analyzing laws, royal decree-laws, draft bills and legislative proposals processed in Spain, as well as government agreements and publications in the BOE and regional bulletins.
• Consulting initiatives, parliamentary questions, debates and votes in the Congress of Deputies and regional chambers, and explaining their processing status.
• Identifying and profiling Spanish political actors (deputies, senators, government members, senior officials) and their public or parliamentary activity on a specific topic.
• Contextualizing Spanish political current affairs, party positions on certain public policies or sectors, and regulatory implications in Spain.

The U.S. regulatory operation (which agencies intervene, what authorizations are necessary, how a new type of vehicle or mobility service is certified in the U.S., etc.) falls within a different legal and administrative framework, which I cannot consult or explain with the same level of rigor as the Spanish environment. For precise information on the regulatory steps of the “Cybercab” in the United States, I would recommend:

• Reviewing official documentation and statements from the competent U.S. transportation and safety regulatory agencies (for example, the federal agencies responsible for vehicles and road safety).
• Consulting analyses from law firms or consultancies specialized in mobility and autonomous vehicle regulation in the U.S., which usually break down phases, authorizations, and technical standards.
• Referring to official communications from the company developing the “Cybercab” itself, where they usually detail the status of their regulatory procedures and commercial pilots.

If you wish, I can help you to:

• Explain how mobility services or the deployment of similar technologies (autonomous vehicles, innovative urban transport, etc.) are regulated in Spain.
• Analyze which Spanish regulations would be relevant if a service like the “Cybercab” wanted to operate in Spanish territory (traffic laws, road safety, urban transport, regional and municipal competences, data protection, insurance, etc.).
• Prepare a comparative outline of the types of authorizations and administrative levels that usually intervene in Spain when introducing a new mobility service.

If you reformulate your question towards the Spanish context (for example, what regulatory requirements there would be in Spain for an autonomous taxi service like the “Cybercab”), I will be happy to help you with a detailed analysis.

The NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) is the U.S. federal agency responsible for the road safety of motor vehicles. In the context of autonomous vehicles without traditional controls (that is, without a steering wheel, pedals, or a human reference driver), its role is structured around technical regulation, compliance oversight, and safety risk management.

First, the NHTSA has the authority to establish and modify the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS). These standards define minimum safety requirements that all new vehicles sold in the United States must meet. Traditionally, many FMVSS assume the existence of a human driver and classic physical controls (steering wheel, brake pedal, etc.). When manufacturers want to introduce autonomous vehicles without those controls, the NHTSA can:

• Review and update the FMVSS to adapt them to designs without a traditional human driver.
• Grant temporary and limited exemptions to certain standards, allowing a limited number of vehicles that do not meet all classic requirements to circulate, provided that an equivalent level of safety is guaranteed.

Second, the NHTSA plays a key role in the de facto authorization of these vehicles through the compliance certification process. Although the United States does not have a centralized “pre-approval” system as in other countries, manufacturers are required to self-certify that their products comply with applicable FMVSS. The NHTSA:

• Defines which standards are relevant for an autonomous design without traditional controls.
• May require detailed technical information about the automated driving system (ADS), its failure modes, and safeguards.
• Has the authority to review whether the self-certification is well-founded and, if risks are detected, initiate investigations or corrective measures.

A third competency area is post-market safety. Once autonomous vehicles are in circulation, the NHTSA can:

• Investigate incidents and accidents involving vehicles with automated driving systems, requesting registration data, software, test records, etc.
• Require recalls when a safety defect is detected in the design, hardware, or software, even if it is a purely algorithmic problem of the autonomous system.
• Issue safety warnings, guidelines, or interpretations on how these systems should operate to be considered reasonably safe.

Additionally, the NHTSA has the authority to issue voluntary guidelines and frameworks on the development and deployment of automated vehicles. Although these guidelines are not legally binding, they guide manufacturers’ actions on:

• Recommended safe design and cybersecurity practices.
• Management of vehicle behavior in edge cases (for example, sensor failures or loss of connectivity).
• Transparency and provision of information to users, authorities, and emergency services.

It is important to distinguish between the federal competencies of the NHTSA and those of the States. The NHTSA regulates the vehicle design and safety as a product; meanwhile, the States determine aspects such as vehicle registration, permits for on-road testing, licensing regimes, and liability in case of accidents. In practice, for an autonomous vehicle without traditional controls to legally circulate, it is necessary:

• That the design complies with (or is justifiably exempt from) the FMVSS, under NHTSA supervision.
• That the State or States where it circulates allow it in their traffic and autonomous vehicle testing regulations.

Finally, the NHTSA does not authorize each trip on a case-by-case basis, but its combination of regulatory authority, ability to grant exemptions, incident investigation, and power to order recalls gives it a decisive role in the real possibility of deploying autonomous vehicles without steering wheels or pedals in the U.S. market.

Elon Musk has built a professional career that combines leadership in the automotive sector — through Tesla and electric mobility — with a central role in advanced technology, space exploration, artificial intelligence, and digital platforms. The economic and political press describes him as the axis of a “technology empire” that goes far beyond a single company, articulated around Tesla, SpaceX, the Starlink satellite network, the AI company xAI, and the social network X (formerly Twitter).

Experience in the automotive sector

The core of Musk’s experience in automotive is his role at Tesla, where he serves as CEO and one of the main shareholders. Various reports indicate that his wealth largely depends on the stake he retains in the electric car company, whose market capitalization is around 1.5 trillion dollars, and that the market directly associates the brand’s performance with his figure.

Under his leadership, Tesla has established itself as one of the world’s leading electric vehicle manufacturers. Recent information about the Spanish market notes, for example, that models like the Model 3 and the Model Y top the electric vehicle sales lists, reflecting the company’s position in the mid- and high-end segment, both for individuals and corporate fleets.

Beyond the vehicle itself, Musk’s experience in automotive extends to the associated infrastructure:

• Tesla’s supercharger network, cited as one of the brand’s competitive advantages in the European market.
• Projects related to energy storage and large battery systems in collaboration with other companies, in which Tesla acts as a key technology provider.
• Tesla’s participation in regulatory debates on autonomous vehicles. For example, in Israel, cooperation between the government and Musk in advancing autonomous driving legislation is mentioned, illustrating his involvement at the industry-regulation frontier.

Musk has also promoted the robotization of Tesla’s own factories, presenting the humanoid robot Optimus as a new type of “workforce” capable of performing tasks within plants and, in a later phase, being marketed to third parties. This reinforces the idea of Tesla not only as a car manufacturer but as a technology company applied to mobility and production.

Experience in the technology sector

SpaceX and space infrastructure

In the technology field, Musk’s most emblematic company is SpaceX, of which he is founder and CEO. Recent reports describe it not only as a rocket company but as one of the most valuable technology giants in the world, with a capitalization exceeding two trillion dollars after its IPO.

Musk’s experience in this field includes:

• Building a space and digital infrastructure (launchers, services for NASA, Starlink satellite network) that competes in scale with major tech companies like Amazon or Microsoft.
• Designing a business model that connects telecommunications, defense, artificial intelligence, and space services, to the point that financial analysts compare SpaceX to an integrated technology platform rather than a mere aerospace provider.

Artificial intelligence and chips

Another central aspect of his career is AI. According to various articles, Musk:

• Founded and leads xAI, an artificial intelligence company that has become corporately integrated into SpaceX, with a joint valuation around 1.25 trillion dollars.
• Has promoted plans to build the “most epic AI chip manufacturing effort in history,” associating SpaceX, Tesla, xAI, and even partners like Intel to establish a large high-performance semiconductor production complex.
• Maintains an active role in AI governance through litigation and public disputes with OpenAI, in which he claims his status as co-founder and challenges the organization’s shift toward profit models.

Additionally, xAI has secured contracts with the U.S. Government to deploy its “Grok” model in federal agencies, positioning Musk also as a direct technology provider to the Administration in advanced AI.

Digital platforms and other technology companies

Musk’s experience in the technology sector is rounded out by his role as owner and director of X, the former Twitter, which he controls through X Corp. This social network has become one of the main real-time information platforms and a major channel of political and cultural influence.

Added to this are stakes in companies like Neuralink (brain interfaces) and The Boring Company (tunnel infrastructure), cited as part of his technology portfolio. Overall, specialized press presents Musk as the center of a “Muskonomy”: a network of companies in electric automotive, space, AI, social networks, and neurotechnology, whose cohesion and value largely depend on his figure and his ability to lead large-scale technological projects.