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Industry

U.S. weighs scrapping steering wheel requirement for driverless robotaxis in overhaul of self-driving rules

The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is pursuing a plan to remove the requirement to fit steering wheels on driverless robotaxis designed for fully autonomous operation. The move follows its recent push to drop a physical brake pedal requirement and extends to testing rules that allow exemptions from federal safety standards, though production is capped at 2,500 vehicles. Safety concerns and differing state-level rules remain.

Mobility

U.S. to drop brake pedal requirement for self-driving-only vehicles

The U.S. Department of Transportation is pushing regulatory changes to remove the requirement for brake pedals in vehicles designed to operate only with automated driving systems. If finalised, the proposal could lower commercialisation hurdles for companies developing fully autonomous vehicles without steering wheels or pedals, such as Tesla and Zoox. The plan focuses on exempting self-driving-only vehicles from parts requirements written for human-driven cars. The department will collect public comments for 30 days before deciding.

Mobility

Tesla safeguard breached again as FSD monitoring system fooled by 40,000-won doll head

Tesla\'s driver-monitoring system can be bypassed with a small plastic doll head costing about $30, allowing the cabin camera to think a driver is watching the road. Foreign media reported such items are sold on Chinese e-commerce platforms for $20 to $50 as dashboard decorations. A case cited by Digital Trends said a Model 3 owner used a fake head and received no warnings for 30 minutes. The issue comes as Tesla launches FSD in China and faces related lawsuits and enforcement actions.