Alliance for Automotive Innovation released the following statement on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) proposal to establish a national autonomous vehicle (AV) deployment program.
The ADS-equipped Vehicle Safety, Transparency, and Evaluation Program (AV STEP) will provide a pathway to significantly expand the number of commercial AVs operating in the U.S.
Under current law, companies are permitted to operate no more than 2,500 purpose-built autonomous vehicles on roads at a given time. Purpose-built refers to vehicles created to exclusively operate autonomously (no steering wheel, accelerator, etc.).
Contrast this with AVs operating on the roads today that use vehicles customized (retrofitted) with autonomous hardware and software.
John Bozzella, president and CEO of Alliance for Automotive Innovation, said:
“AVs are operating on the roads and carrying passengers and goods in states across the country – right now – but federal law limits how many purpose-built AVs can operate at a time. An arbitrary cap of 2,500 vehicles is preventing progress on a safety and mobility technology with a lot of promise.
“We’ve been critical of regulators for standing still on AVs. Why? Because we urgently need a regulatory framework for AVs in the U.S., so we don’t cede leadership to China and other countries. AV STEP is a positive step forward and a pathway to ramp up the number of AVs operating on the roads under the oversight of the country’s primary vehicle safety regulator.”
Almost four years ago, Alliance for Automotive Innovation recommended the establishment of a national pilot program for AV testing and deployment for NHTSA to gather necessary data for AV policymaking and provide the public with more exposure to the safety and technology benefits of autonomy.
In 2018, the Trump administration announced a plan to create an AV deployment pilot program (much like today’s announcement).
