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NHTSA sets 2028 deadline for new robotaxi safety rulebook
NHTSA aims to publish a new performance-based safety rulebook for autonomous vehicles by 2028, replacing design-based standards that assume human drivers. The shift would eliminate requirements for steering wheels, brake pedals, mirrors and other hardware, directly benefiting purpose-built robotaxis like Tesla's Cybercab and Amazon's Zoox whilst removing current exemption caps.
This Wire brief sits within Fusion42's coverage of Autonomous Vehicles. Wire is Fusion42's founder-focused intelligence feed: each story is connected to the funds and startups it names — every one with a live profile on Raise or Scout — so founders can follow the capital and the momentum behind the headline rather than just the headline itself. Wire analysis is one of the live surfaces Arthur reasons over.
The Wire takeaway
If you're building a robotaxi without a steering wheel or brake pedal, you've been operating under temporary exemptions capped at 2,500 vehicles—that cap expires when these rules land in 2028. You have 18 months to either prove your safety case to NHTSA's new performance standards or hit that fleet limit before the rulebook closes the door.
Read the full story at automotiveworld.com →
Topics: Autonomous Vehicles · robotaxi-regulation · safety-standards · hardware-requirements · fmvss-reform · av-exemptions