The US government is aiming to accelerate the deployment of autonomous vehicles and eliminate obstacles to their adoption. On Tuesday, the association representing self-driving car companies urged the federal government to take further action, including establishing a unified set of regulations to replace the current patchwork of state-by-state rules. The group emphasized that a standardized approach could also help automakers cut development costs by minimizing the number of prototypes required for testing and production.
The call comes as the transition team for President-elect Donald Trump is exploring measures to ease restrictions on deploying driverless cars, according to a report published over the weekend. The transition team is looking into legislative proposals that could dramatically increase the number of vehicles manufacturers can deploy under exemptions from existing safety standards that require cars to have steering wheels, pedals, and mirrors. The report, citing people familiar with the matter, said the Trump administration is considering the idea as it seeks to make AVs a top priority.
Such a move would be a boon for Tesla CEO Elon Musk, whose company is preparing to roll out fully driverless cars next year and start production of its robotaxi fleet in 2026. States have rules governing how much time carmakers can spend testing and deploying autonomous cars. That has led to much uncertainty, as companies must spend months or even years in each state before the cars can hit the road.
If the transition team can create a set of rules that apply to all 50 states, it would significantly reduce the need for companies to invest in duplicate development and testing work and allow them to scale up more rapidly. That will be particularly important for ride-sharing services like Uber and Waymo, which have already started to expand their autonomous vehicle fleets and build up their networks of drivers.
However, the transition team’s plan to ease AV laws does raise concerns about balancing innovation with ensuring that all motorists are safe on America’s roads. Many politicians will be tasked with addressing this issue as they consider new regulations for the industry.
For example, lawmakers must weigh the benefits of automated vehicles against the possibility that they may displace some jobs. But if the technology can reduce the need for human drivers, it could also reduce traffic congestion and lead to an overall reduction in pollution.