Summary
- Elon Musk mentioned the possibility of creating US policy on self-driving cars during a Tesla conference call
- Tesla VP David Lau expressed support for helping with regulations on autonomous vehicles
- The idea of federal approval for full self-driving on Tesla vehicles could eliminate the need for state-by-state approval
- Musk may want a safety driver required up to a certain level of self-driving before allowing no-intervention driving
- FMVSS for autonomous vehicles could potentially still allow states to have stricter standards than the federal government
Article
Elon Musk recently brought up the possibility of creating a federal approval process for autonomous vehicles in the US. This would be done through the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) issued by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Despite regulators looking into this topic in 2017 and 2018, progress has stalled. Musk expressed Tesla’s support in helping with these regulations and even mentioned the idea of creating a Department of Government Efficiency to make it happen.
With the election of President Trump, the issue of federal approval for self-driving cars has resurfaced as a top priority for Elon Musk. If federal approval for full self-driving capabilities is granted, it could eliminate the need to obtain state-by-state approvals, which can be a time-consuming process. While federal approval would set the baseline standards, individual states like California could still implement stricter regulations if desired. The goal would be for autonomous vehicles to eventually operate without a safety driver and to be able to collect fares from paying passengers.
The implementation of FMVSS for autonomous vehicles would likely include a requirement for a safety driver up to a certain level of no-intervention driving. Once the vehicle reaches a high tier of self-driving capability without requiring intervention, it could potentially operate without a safety driver and collect fares from passengers. The question remains whether these standards can be successfully implemented under the Trump administration in the next few years, as there may be additional critical elements that need to be addressed to ensure the safety and efficiency of autonomous vehicles.
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