US Transport Department to ease rules for self-driving cars
What's the story
The United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) is working to make it easier for automakers and tech companies to deploy autonomous vehicles without traditional controls such as steering wheels and pedals.
In a letter sent to stakeholders, the department said it would simplify reviews of requests for exemptions from safety rules requiring vehicles to have these parts.
The move comes as purpose-built autonomous vehicles often lack such components.
Process acceleration
NHTSA will speed up the exemption request review process
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) can exempt up to 2,500 vehicles per manufacturer.
However, the agency has taken years to review some exemption requests without any action.
Now, NHTSA says it will speed up this process, making it take "months rather than years."
US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the previous exemption process was "bogging developers down in unnecessary red tape that makes it impossible to keep pace with the latest technologies."
Requirement details
FMVSS exemptions needed for cars without steering wheels, pedals
Companies looking to build and sell self-driving cars without steering wheels and pedals will have to seek exemptions from the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS).
This is the government's official checklist for everything a car needs before it can be sold to customers.
So far, only one company, Nuro, has received an FMVSS exemption for its low-speed delivery robots that aren't large enough for human passengers.
Exemption challenges
GM's experience highlights the challenges automakers face
General Motors (GM) spent over two years trying to get an exemption for its driverless Cruise vehicles but eventually gave up.
The company announced last year that it would stop funding Cruise.
This highlights the difficulty automakers face in getting these exemptions, even as the USDOT works to simplify the process.
Previous measures
Last year's streamlined 'exemption pathway'
Notably, this isn't the first time the government has shown interest in easing the deployment of fully autonomous vehicles.
Last year, the Biden administration announced a more streamlined "exemption pathway" for vehicles with automated driving systems.
However, in return, NHTSA wanted more data from companies operating driverless cars to ensure transparency and build public trust in this technology.
Policy shift
Trump administration less keen on data disclosure
The Trump administration, however, seems less keen on forcing companies to disclose more data.
There was no mention of data disclosure in NHTSA's letter to stakeholders.
The administration is also said to be looking to reverse a Biden-era transparency rule that requires companies operating vehicles with driver assist and self-driving cars to report crashes and injuries to the federal government.