NHTSA finally releases new rules for self-driving cars — but there’s a twist

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration New ‘Voluntary National Framework for Assessment and Monitoring’ of Autonomous Vehicles AnnouncedIt’s a bureaucratic first step that could eventually open the floodgates to fully driverless cars. But there’s a twist: The agency wants self-driving car companies to provide more data.

The proposed rules were first announced last year Vehicle Safety, Transparency and Assessment Program with ADSalso called AV step. The program would allow the agency to authorize the sale and commercialization of more vehicles without traditional controls, such as pedals and steering wheels, without reaching annual caps on the number of exemptions from safety requirements. NHTSA promises “tailored exemption pathways for ADS-equipped vehicles,” implying that the release process for fully driverless vehicles will be easier and more time-consuming.

In exchange, the agency requires companies operating self-driving cars to provide more data, arguing that greater transparency is needed to foster public trust in the technology.

“AV STEP will provide a valuable national framework at a critical time in development [automated driving system] technology. Safe, transparent and responsible development is critical for this technology to gain public trust and reach its full potential. This proposal lays the foundation for these goals and supports NHTSA’s safety mission,” NHTSA Chief Counsel Adam Raviv said in a release. “We encourage everyone to comment on our proposed plans.

By initiating the rulemaking process, the Biden administration is giving a sizable year-end holiday gift to companies that have been working on autonomous vehicle technology for decades without any national regulatory framework to guide them.

The federal government has largely taken a backseat in regulating self-driving cars, leaving it to states to develop their own rulebooks for safe deployment. Legislation would significantly increase the number of self-driving cars on the road Stalled in Congress for more than seven yearslawmakers are divided on a range of issues, including safety, liability and the appropriate number of exemptions from federal motor vehicle safety standards.

Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards are the government’s official list of everything a car needs before it can be sold to a customer, including steering wheels, pedals and side-view mirrors. Self-driving cars generally do not require these controls, forcing companies to petition the federal government for exemptions from safety rules before putting their vehicles on the road.

But safety regulators tightly control these exemptions. Each company can apply for up to 2,500 exemptions. To date, only one company, Nuro, has Its low-speed delivery robot receives FMVSS exemption Not big enough for human passengers. GM has been trying to get a waiver for two years Its driverless cruise vehicles eventually gave up. (Earlier this month, General Motors said it would Stop subsidizing cruise ships.)

However, whether AV STEP will survive the next Trump administration remains an open question. For one, it is reported that the incoming president hopes Repealing Biden-era transparency rules This requires companies operating vehicles with driver-assistance features, as well as self-driving cars, to report crashes and injuries to the federal government. Repealing crash reporting rules would greatly benefit Tesla, which so far has Most crashes reported. Tesla CEO Musk is a close adviser and donor to Trump.

The fact that NHTSA has chosen to emphasize “enhanced transparency” under AV STEP may lead some to conclude that the rule is dead on arrival. After all, Trump is currently trying to repeal the only transparency rule currently in place regarding self-driving cars. Still, Musk is lobbying Trump to ease restrictions on fully self-driving cars ahead of Tesla’s plans to produce its own cars Robotaxis in 2026. So anything is possible.

Safety advocates called the notice of proposed rulemaking “premature” and unnecessary. Kathy Chase, president of Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, noted in a statement that the timing of the proposal is odd because the auto industry said it was Lobbying for NHTSA repeal New rules requiring automatic emergency braking In new cars by 2029.

“The auto industry is crying foul that using widely available braking technology to comply with parts of the AEB rules is not feasible within five years, and that allowing more sophisticated technology to control more driving functions without meeting minimum safety standards is uncoordinated at best. “It could even be fatal in the worst case scenario,” Chase said.