美國機構命特斯拉回答Cybercab認證相關問題

作者：David ShepardsonBy David Shepardson

華盛頓，9月15日（路透社）——美國國家公路交通安全管理局（NHTSA）週二表示，作為政府調查的一部分，特斯拉必須在9月30日前回答一系列問題，說明其是否已妥善自行認證旗下自駕無人計程車Cybercab。WASHINGTON, Sept 15 (Reuters) - The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration on Tuesday said Tesla must answer a series of questions by September 30 on whether it properly self-certified its autonomous Cybercab robotaxi as part of the government's investigation.

NHTSA表示，特斯拉必須說明，其合規認證依據是否包括暫時安裝的人類駕駛控制裝置或其他設備，並回答其他問題。NHTSA said Tesla must answer whether temporarily installed human driver controls or other equipment was part of Tesla’s basis for certifying compliance, and other questions.

這個汽車安全監管機關本月表示，在這家電動車製造商推出該款無人計程車前，該局正在審查其用來證明符合聯邦機動車安全標準的流程與技術資料。The auto safety regulator said this month it was examining the process and technical data the EV maker relied on to demonstrate compliance with federal motor vehicle safety standards before deploying the robotaxi.

特斯拉與其他無人計程車公司，包括Google旗下Waymo，支持美國總統川普政府修改法規的計畫，使這類車輛不必配備方向盤、煞車踏板、後視鏡或人類駕駛所需的其他設備。無人計程車批評者反對這些變更，稱在企業證明自駕車安全之前，不應豁免相關規定。Tesla and other robotaxi companies including Google's Waymo have backed plans by President Donald Trump's administration to change regulations so that such vehicles do not need to have steering wheels, brake pedals, rear-view mirrors or other equipment required by human drivers. Critics of robotaxis oppose the changes, saying the rules should not be waived until the companies prove that autonomous vehicles are safe.

NHTSA要求特斯拉確認，Cybercab無人計程車是否能由人類駕駛操控，以及車內觸控螢幕是否有任何可讓乘客移動車輛的控制功能。NHTSA asked Tesla to confirm whether the Cybercab robotaxis are capable of being driven by a human driver and if there are any controls in the vehicle touchscreen by which occupants can move the vehicle.

該局也要求特斯拉回答包括最高速度、地理或時段限制，以及這些無人計程車其他限制在內的問題。It also wants Tesla to answer questions including maximum speed, geographical or time-of-day limits and other restrictions on the robotaxis.

9月3日，特斯拉在德州奧斯汀開始商業部署少量雙人座Cybercab，並表示計畫逐步將服務擴大至更多車輛與地點。On September 3, Tesla began commercial deployment of a small number of the two-seater Cybercabs in Austin, Texas, and said it planned to gradually expand the service to additional vehicles and locations.

NHTSA表示，Cybercab缺少傳統手動控制裝置，包括方向盤、煞車踏板、油門踏板與後視鏡。NHTSA said the Cybercab lacks conventional manual controls, including a steering wheel, brake pedal, accelerator pedal and mirrors.

今年6月，該局提議取消自駕車須配備手動煞車踏板的政府規定，此舉將使未配備人類控制裝置的這類車輛更容易在美國道路上部署。In June, the agency proposed to end a government requirement for manual brake pedals in self-driving vehicles, a move that would make it easier to deploy ‌such vehicles without human controls on U.S. roads.

NHTSA表示，該局已提議對聯邦安全標準作出其他變更，讓自駕車無須額外配備人類駕駛設備；但在這些變更最終定案前，現行標準仍然有效。The agency has proposed other changes to federal safety standards to allow autonomous vehicles to avoid needing additional human driver equipment, but existing standards remain in force until those are finalized, NHTSA said.

特斯拉未立即回應採訪請求。Tesla did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

依現行法律，全自駕車輛若配有方向盤、煞車踏板、後視鏡及其他人類操控車輛具備的功能，就不需要取得NHTSA核准。Under existing law, fully self-driving vehicles do not need NHTSA approval if they have steering wheels, brake pedals, mirrors and other features of human-controlled vehicles.

NHTSA有權批准請願，允許每家製造商每年最多2,500輛未配備必要人類控制裝置的車輛在美國道路上行駛。7月，NHTSA批准亞馬遜旗下Zoox部門的請願，准許其新型無方向盤無人計程車進行有限商業部署，這是自駕叫車產業首例。NHTSA has authority to grant petitions to allow up to 2,500 vehicles per manufacturer yearly to operate on U.S. roads without required human controls. In July, NHTSA approved a petition for Amazon's Zoox unit for limited commercial deployment of its novel steering-wheel-free robotaxis, a first for the autonomous ride industry.

（David Shepardson報導；David Gregorio編輯）(Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by David Gregorio)