US Transport Department to relax regulations for self-driving vehicles.

The USDOT aims to streamline the process for automakers and tech firms to deploy autonomous vehicles sans conventional controls like steering wheels and pedals. Stakeholders were informed that the department will ease reviews of exemption requests from safety regulations mandating these features. This change is vital as purpose-built autonomous vehicles typically don’t include traditional components.

The NHTSA allows up to 2,500 vehicles per manufacturer to be exempt. However, delays in reviewing exemption requests have prompted the agency to move towards a faster process, aiming to take “months rather than years.” US Transportation Secretary Duffy mentioned the previous process was burdening developers with unnecessary red tape, hindering them from keeping up with new technologies.

Companies aiming to develop and market self-driving cars sans steering wheels and pedals must request exemptions from Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS), which detail necessary car features. To date, only Nuro has obtained an FMVSS exemption for its compact delivery robots designed for low-speed operations without human transport capability.

General Motors (GM) spent over two years seeking an exemption for its driverless Cruise vehicles but abandoned efforts. The company ceased funding Cruise last year, showcasing automakers’ struggle to obtain exemptions despite USDOT’s efforts to streamline the process.

The government’s previous efforts to facilitate fully autonomous vehicle deployment were emphasized when the Biden administration introduced a simplified exemption process for automated driving systems. NHTSA then requested increased data sharing from companies operating driverless vehicles to enhance transparency and bolster public confidence in this advancing technology.

The Trump administration appears less interested in pushing for increased data disclosure by companies. No mention of data disclosure was made in NHTSA’s stakeholder letter. Additionally, the administration plans to undo a Biden rule mandating companies operating driver assist and self-driving vehicles to report crashes and injuries to the federal government.

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