George Hotz's self-driving car project just hit the skids.

The hacker — known for infiltrating Apple's iPhone and Sony's PlayStation 3 — on Twitter Friday announced that he is killing his Comma One project after receiving a letter from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration expressing concern that the product "would put the safety of [his] customers and other road users at risk."

In the letter, the NHTSA urged Hotz to delay selling the product or testing it on public roadways until he can ensure full compliance with federal motor vehicle safety standards. Otherwise, he could be subject to "civil penalties of up to $21,000 per day." Hotz says his product "does not remove any of the driver's responsibilities from the task of driving," but the agency expressed concern that drivers would use it "in a manner that exceeds its intended purpose."

"This creates a safety risk… because the vehicle may not respond as expected if it is operating in a manner for which it is not designed," the NHTSA wrote.

Hotz wasn't too thrilled with the correspondence. "First time I hear from them and they open with threats," he wrote on Twitter. "No attempt at a dialog."

Hotz added that he would "rather spend [his] life building amazing tech than dealing with regulators and lawyers. It isn't worth it." So, he's cancelling Comma One and said his Comma.ai automotive startup will be "exploring other products and markets."

Would much rather spend my life building amazing tech than dealing with regulators and lawyers. It isn't worth it. -GH 2/3 — comma ai (@comma_ai) October 28, 2016

The Comma One, unveiled last month, was intended to be a $999 aftermarket upgrade that can pilot a car for miles without a driver touching the wheel, brake, or gas.

"It's fully functional. It's about on par with Tesla Autopilot," Hotz said during TechCrunch Disrupt in San Francisco. At that point, he was planning to launch Comma One before the end of 2016 for a small group of vehicles.

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