It's a matter of scale, which many governments cannot understand today. Modern belief is that if spending $100 billion to save a single life is possible, we should do it, even if that method of saving lives kills 100,000 people as a side effect. Once you start understanding humans trade a percentage of their lives for each dollar they earn, things become clearer. If you spend $1,000,000 to save a life, you've actually taken a life in the process, or at least taken the equivalent number of waking hours that equals a life. I blame the schools.
The side AP cameras may have been serving that purpose. Manufacturers can get waivers on a lot of required items, but most requirements are for sale-able vehicles and need to be there to be registered (fortunately, Tesla doesn't need to deal with emissions) Interestingly (to me), side mirror requirements are more linked to backing up than to driving / blind spot elimination
It's up to the individual states in the US. The best example I can come up with is the Ariel Atom. In all states it's considered a kit car so it does not have to have airbags or meet the federal mandated emission controls. Some states have a limited number of cars like that that they will allow, others don't, and some will not allow the car to be registered and tagged at all. Some require a windshield, some require a windshield and wipers. Some don't require those things at all. Some states have safety inspections that it will have to pass and others (like mine) don't check anything ever.
The car seems being completely disabled, like impossible to turn the wheel or been able to roll in a secure location. Otherwise at least I would had slowly rolled back down the slope and parked parallel to the curb on a flat surface to avoid this priceless prototype been hit by any other passing vehicul. Even in the case of complete power failure, I suspect that you should be able to turn the wheels and use the breaks? Also instead of using a Model S or a BMW as safety car, they should use a Model X which has towing capability.
This not also the purpose of using any 'camo' painting on any prototype car to make it distingable from legal cars.
Which would have been as much use as a chocolate fireguard given there is no towing eye on the Roadster. They could have hitched a flatbed trailer to the Model X, but then they might as well have towed the Roadster to wherever it was going
It isn't here either. Plenty of cars we see are "mules" painted normally, and designed to blend in. Mainly used as manufacturers try out drive trains etc. for upcoming models, which are significant enough of a change to require new "type approval". So these cars get individually approved, but to casual observers they wouldn't know the difference. Anyway, I still think it's highly unusual for a manufacturer to be driving around a "concept car" on public roads. So for me the bigger question is not why it broke down (sorry "failed temporarily to continue forward momentum under it's own power"), but why Tesla weren't doing testing away from public view on one of the numerous testing facilities around the world.
A cynic would suggest that's the intention of driving it round Clearly with no wipers, mirrors, door handles, side reflectors, etc. etc. it definitely falls into the concept car category. (even if the drive train / battery is further along), it does look very early along the path from design to production. BTW I love the looks of the Roadster, and would happily buy one post production. I'm just not going to risk a quarter of a million on a sight unseen purchase.
I am imagining what Franz was saying on the cellphone... "No... I want to talk to the engineering director, not an intern !" "Yes, I know to press the turn stalk 3 times, press the brake 2 times, and then press the hidden switch under the dash, but the damn thing still won't move !"
He was trying to call Elon, but after an unfortunate twitter incident, the phone number no longer worked
"Ok on the Control and Alt. Where is Delete?" Either that or he was ordering pizza 'cause they were going to be there a while.