As Ford Authority reported last week, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has proposed the creation of what it calls the ADS-equipped Vehicle Safety, Transparency, and Evaluation Program (AV STEP), which a national framework that would evaluate and oversee certain vehicles equipped with automated driving systems. The proposal aims to establish a voluntary review and reporting framework for participating vehicles, and would be open to all companies that operate or plan to operate compliant ADS-equipped vehicles on public roads, as well as those requiring NHTSA exemptions to operate non-compliant vehicles. The goal of AV STEP is to promote greater transparency into participating ADS operations and help the agency study and oversee ADS technology as it matures, and now, it’s being supported by a Ford-backed lobby group.
That Ford-backed group is the Alliance for Automotive Innovation (AAI), which notes that this proposed program “will provide a pathway to significantly expand the number of commercial AVs operating in the U.S.,” as currently, companies can’t have more than 2,500 autonomous vehicles on the roads at any given time. AAI also proposed establishing a similar national pilot program for AVs four years ago, too.
“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,” said John Bozzella, president and CEO of Alliance for Automotive Innovation.
“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.”
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