Latest news with #FederalMotorVehicleSafetyStandards
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Legislation aims to jump-start rollout of driverless vehicles
WASHINGTON — New legislation introduced in the Senate attempts to spring the U.S. Department of Transportation into regulatory action that will lead to commercial rollout of driverless cars and trucks. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration have initiated rulemakings to establish a regulatory framework for driverless cars and trucks but have yet to issue final rules. 'For nearly a decade, Washington has talked about autonomous vehicles without meaningful action,' remarked Sen. Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo., when she introduced her bill, the Autonomous Vehicle Advancement Act of 2025, earlier this month. 'This legislation cuts through the red tape and establishes a clear path forward for getting safe autonomous vehicles on American roads where they can save lives, create jobs, and maintain our technological leadership. Wyoming is a highway state and ensuring that autonomous vehicles are integrated in the safest way possible remains my number one priority.'The bill specifies two components for advancing autonomous vehicles: Require the secretary of transportation to address autonomous vehicle certification challenges identified in a 2016 federal report by the Volpe Center, a research arm of DOT. Establish a comprehensive road map for achieving commercially viable Level 4 and Level 5 vehicles – those that are equipped with self-driving systems that require minimal to no human intervention. The purpose of the report cited in Lummis' bill was to 'identify instances where the existing Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards may pose challenges to the introduction of automated vehicles,' according to the report's abstract. 'It identifies standards requiring further review – both to ensure that existing regulations do not unduly stifle innovation and to help ensure that automated vehicles perform their functions safely.' The report also considered the concept of truck platooning, technology that allows autonomous trucks to follow each other in close formation to reduce drag and improve fuel economy.'What's encouraging is that we're seeing a convergence of regulatory and technological readiness both at the federal and state levels to unlock safe deployment,' Earl Adams, VP of public policy and regulatory affairs at Plus, a developer of driverless trucks, told FreightWaves in an email seeking comment on the Lummis proposal. 'The bipartisan support for a safety-case-based approach is laying a solid foundation for AV adoption. The industry is ready to meet the challenge, but it's critical that we keep pushing for a national framework to ensure consistent rules across all states.' Driverless-truck lobby urges federal action toward full autonomy Regulators deny roadside warning exemption for autonomous trucks FMCSA proposes new requirements for driverless trucks Click for more FreightWaves articles by John Gallagher. The post Legislation aims to jump-start rollout of driverless vehicles appeared first on FreightWaves.
Business Wire
21-05-2025
- Automotive
- Business Wire
Attorney Amy Witherite: Finally Some Common Sense About Driverless Trucks on Texas Highways
DALLAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Attorney and traffic safety expert Amy Witherite is glad to see human beings back in the cabs of autonomous trucks on Texas highways. Aurora Innovations reversed course less than three weeks after it said it would let the trucks operate at speeds up to 75 miles an hour between Dallas and Houston without anyone in the cab. 'Common sense has finally prevailed,' said Amy Witherite an attorney and truck safety expert who has been warning about the dangers posed by driverless trucks for months. 'There has been nowhere near the amount of testing required to show these trucks can operate safely in the challenging environment on Texas highways,' said Witherite. 'With billions of dollars at stake and little or no government regulations federal and state officials are letting the fox guard the henhouse by allowing for-profit companies to determine whether their technology is safe.' Even organizations formed to support the deployment of autonomous vehicles recognize the need for federal standards to be in place. According to the Autonomous Vehicle Industry Association, 'only the federal government can uniformly regulate the design, construction and performance of the vehicle.' Currently, autonomous vehicles must only follow National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards, which were written before automated systems were developed. This creates a regulatory gap between traditional vehicles and newer vehicles equipped with emerging technology. According to the Washington Post, the 'NHTSA, a small, specialized team focused on autonomous vehicles has lost most of its staff, according to two former agency employees. NHTSA has recently lost many of its employees to Trump administration budget cut.' 'The amount of damage that can be caused by an 80,000-pound tractor trailer far exceeds the severity of accidents involving cars and SUVs,' noted Witherite. 'Texas highways are often crowded and full of complex and unpredictable situations from sudden changes in the weather and ongoing construction to accidents and dangerous drivers.' 'At this point, it took another company PACCAR, Inc. which manufactures the trucks to demand humans remain in the cab of these vehicles,' said Witherite. 'We can only hope that regulators and the public will demand that this commonsense approach continues as this new technology is developed in the future.' The Witherite Law Group specializes in vehicle accident cases and offers crucial support for individuals involved in accidents with driverless vehicles. For more information visit their website.
Globe and Mail
26-04-2025
- Automotive
- Globe and Mail
Tesla Stock (TSLA) Turbocharged as U.S. Makes Self Driving Rule Changes to Race Past China
Shares in troubled EV maker Tesla (TSLA) revved up higher today after it received a rare bit of good news on the future of self-driving cars in the U.S. Stay Ahead of the Market: Discover outperforming stocks and invest smarter with Top Smart Score Stocks. Filter, analyze, and streamline your search for investment opportunities using Tipranks' Stock Screener. Easier to Deploy It seems President Donald Trump has listened to his buddy, Tesla chief executive Elon Musk, and made changes to federal rules on autonomous vehicles to make it easier to deploy the vehicles and even loosen requirements around accidents. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said it will continue its requirement that vehicles equipped with certain advanced driver assistance systems or self-driving systems report safety incidents but it said will streamline reporting requirements. The NHTSA will also expand its Automated Vehicle Exemption Program (AVEP) to include domestically produced vehicles. The program previously allowed only certain foreign vehicles to be deployed on U.S. roads without fully complying with NHTSA's Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards for research or demonstration purposes. However, vehicles built in America can also now submit requests for similar exceptions. Challenge China U.S. transportation secretary Sean Duffy said the new framework will slash red tape to spur innovation and challenge China. 'We are in a race with them to out-innovate and the stakes couldn't be higher,' he said. Musk had called for these changes in part to help the rollout of his fleet of Cybercabs in Texas this June. According to the Financial Times, to win approval Tesla needs an exemption from the agency to operate a non-standard car on American roads. Tesla stock has swerved off track in 2025 battered by rising Chinese competition, concerns over tariffs and the reputational hit to the company given Musk's close relationship with the colourful Trump administration. Following a woeful set of first quarter results when profits slumped by 71%, Musk has promised to refocus on his day job and spend less time working for Trump as head of the controversial Department of Government Efficiency or DOGE. An easing in self-driving rules could be a good way to kickstart those Tesla batteries. Is TSLA a Good Stock to Buy Now? On TipRanks, TSLA has a Hold consensus based on 17 Buy, 11 Hold and 12 Sell ratings. Its highest price target is $465. TSLA stock's consensus price target is $284.74 implying an 9.72% upside. See more TSLA analyst ratings Disclaimer & Disclosure Report an Issue
Yahoo
11-04-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Before You Buy That Kei Truck, These Are The U.S. States They're Road-Legal In
If you love a packaging miracle, it doesn't get much cooler than a kei car. Or a kei truck. Or a kei van. These Japanese-market exclusives are small in size, use tiny engines, and yet are still ridiculously practical. Many of the best ones are also finally old enough to import into the U.S. under the 25-year exemption, and even in fantastic condition, they usually aren't very expensive, either. You'll have to get used to driving on the right side of the car, but their tiny footprints should make that easier than you might think. The real problem is that many states have decided these specific old cars are too dangerous, and you might not be allowed to register your new-to-you purchase. Unfortunately for kei car owners, figuring out whether or not kei cars are legal in your state isn't quite as simple as looking up a list of states that ban them, checking to make sure your state isn't on the list, then confidently clicking the "Place Bid" button. Some states allow them but limit how fast you can drive them. Others technically allow them but won't let you drive them on public roads. Thankfully, World Population Review, a data-gathering and visualization site, keeps a list of kei car laws in various states that can help you figure other whether the kei car you want is legal or not. Read more: The Best-Looking Pickup Trucks Ever Sold, According To Our Readers To keep things simple, let's start with the states that outright ban kei cars. Those states are: Connecticut Iowa Maryland Nevada New Jersey New Mexico Oregon Vermont Kei cars are also explicitly illegal in Georgia, although if you want to use one to do work on your farm, it does allow an exemption for agricultural purposes. You still can't register your kei truck in Georgia or drive it on public roads, but they won't stop you from using it on your property. Or, at least, that was the case until recently. Georgia is currently waiting on the Governor to sign a bill that would make kei cars legal again. Well, sort of. Will all of these states allow you to register an original Volkswagen Beetle that's even older and less safe than a Honda Acty? Of course. For some reason, these states are only concerned with how safe kei cars are. If you drive anything else, who cares about you or your passengers? Your knees can be the crumple zone in any other vehicle as long as it doesn't threaten to cut into Big Truck's profits. Some states haven't explicitly banned all kei cars, but they do place heavy restrictions on them. Basically, think of these states like Georgia but without the Department of Revenue telling everyone they're super illegal. In a way, it's a distinction without a difference, but no one ever accused kei car bans of making sense. The states that currently restrict kei car use include: Colorado - Off-road only Minnesota - Only legal if local laws allow it Montana - Only legal if local laws allow it New York - Legal if modified to meet Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards and Environmental Protection Agency requirements Pennsylvania - Strict inspection requirements make registering kei cars for road use difficult, but it is possible Rhode Island - Hostile toward kei cars in general Virginia - Legal to register as antique or special-use vehicles, but road use is heavily restricted West Virginia - Only legal for agricultural purposes with a limit on how far you can drive them away from your property Some states are sane enough not to outright ban kei cars or regulate them so aggressively, it's almost impossible to legally drive one on a public road. That said, even states that haven't unfairly banned kei cars sometimes limit how fast you're allowed to legally drive them. Sadly, while 55 mph is technically fast enough to drive on a state highway or interstate, that doesn't necessarily mean these states allow it. You should make sure you understand your local laws before buying a kei car anyway, but you really want to read up on the specifics in these states: Alabama - 25 mph Arkansas - 55 mph Florida - 35 mph Illinois - 35 mph Louisiana - 55 mph Maine - 35 mph Missouri - 45 mph New Hampshire - 35 mph North Dakota - 55 mph Ohio - 35 mph South Carolina - 55 mph Tennessee - 35 mph Utah - 50 mph Alaska, Delaware and Washington, D.C. don't have any laws on the books specific to kei cars, so if you live in one of those states, they aren't illegal. If you live in Alaska, though, there may be local restrictions that limit where or how you can use your kei car. As for other states where kei cars are legal, most of them require you to jump through several hoops if you want to register one. So while it's good news if your state is included here, that's only the first step toward ensuring your kei car is street legal. The states where kei cars are legal include: Arizona California Idaho Indiana Kansas Kentucky Massachusetts Mississippi Nebraska North Carolina Oklahoma South Dakota Texas Washington Wisconsin Wyoming Want more like this? Join the Jalopnik newsletter to get the latest auto news sent straight to your inbox... Read the original article on Jalopnik.
Yahoo
03-03-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Over 60,000 Volkswagen and Audi electric cars recalled for risk of rollaway
Over 60,000 Volkswagen and Audi electric vehicles have been recalled for a faulty gear display that could increase the chance of the vehicle rolling away, according to The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Impacted vehicles may not display the 'N' gear position on the instrument panel, causing risk of driver confusion and a failure to comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards. 'If the correct transmission gear position indicator is not shown and the electronic parking brake is not engaged, the driver may be unable to identify the transmission shift position, increasing the risk of a crash and vehicle roll away,' a Volkswagen dealer communication reads. The recall affects 2022-2023 Audi Q4 e-Trons and Q4 Sportback e-Trons, as well as 2021-2023 Volkswagen ID.4s. All impacted vehicles are fully electric. Audi is a subsidiary of the German company Volkswagen Group, among many other prominent car brands like Porsche, Bentley and Lamborghini. Affected owners will be notified by April 25, 2025, according to the NHTSA. They are encouraged to take the vehicles to a dealership that will 'update the brake control unit software' at no charge to the vehicle owner. Volkswagen is advising dealers to 'schedule owner repairs immediately' and precautions diligence when driving the impacted vehicles. 'If the parking brake is not engaged, the red parking brake indicator light on the instrument cluster will not be illuminated,' Volkswagen said in its notice to dealers. 'Before leaving the vehicle, owners are advised to confirm the parking brake indicator light has illuminated in order to help avoid a situation where the vehicle could roll when it is not intended to do so.' The recall comes just weeks after nearly 30,000 Volkswagen and Audis were separately recalled for a faulty rear view camera display. Affected vehicles include 2024-2025 Audi Q3s, 2023 Volkswagen Arteons, and 2022-2024 Volkswagen Tiguans. Those impacted by vehicle recalls are able to contact the NHTS at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-888-275-9153) or visit This article was originally published on
