How Can a Car Get an Airbag Waiver?

Tesla Motors made news recently when the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration exempted the company’s new all-electric Roadster from its advanced airbag requirement for three years. How does a car manage to get an airbag exemption? Not easily, but Tesla makes for a unique example.

After spending $43 million on a car that will supposedly go 220 miles on a single charge of the battery, Tesla executives must have sighed with relief after the agency’s ruling. NHTSA said that forcing Tesla to comply with the advanced airbag requirement would put the company out of business “in the U.S. and potentially worldwide.” A three year exemption should cover the first 3,825 Roadsters on the market.

The agency also cited Tesla’s all-electric powertrain in its decision, stating, “We believe that the public interest is served by encouraging the development of fuel-efficient and alternative-fueled vehicles.”

Tesla’s Roadster is not the only small car NHTSA has exempted, though. Ferrari, Bugatti and last year’s Lotus Elise have all received similar deals, so perhaps fuel efficiency was a lesser consideration than the car’s $98,000 price tag and high-end market niche. The first wave of Roadsters will begin production March 17 and are already sold out.

It’s important to note that the Tesla does include airbags, they just don’t adjust the deployment speed based on the weight of the passenger. Either way, taking a hit in a Roadster is not going to be pleasant.

Tesla Granted Air Bag Waiver (Detroit Free Press)