Ford Backed Group Wants Trump To Fast Track Self-Driving Cars

Autonomous vehicles are something that many automakers and startups have invested heavily in over the past few years, and yet, things haven’t quite progressed as fast as those entities had hoped. Ford shifted its focus away from Level 4 and 5 autonomy some time ago, and is now working on making Level 3 tech viable via its new company, Latitude AI. However, others remain fully committed to the idea of developing fully self-driving vehicles, and now, a Ford-backed lobby group is calling on the Trump Administration to help fast-track that tech.

According to Reuters, the Alliance For Automotive Innovation wrote a letter to Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy asking the administration to work to implement a performance-based framework for self-driving vehicle hardware, software, and operation, with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) acting as the sole regulator for all three. The letter also calls for the U.S. Transportation Department to not require human drivers or manual driving controls in these autonomous vehicles.

The concept behind this ask is to help speed up the development of fully-autonomous vehicles such as robotaxis, a subject that has taken on more of an urgent tone as of late amid increasing international competition. “If the federal government fails to act to advance sensible AV policies we will cede our leadership in this economically crucial sector to China,” the letter states. “Multiple agencies and state regulatory regimes create inconsistent rules, risking safety gaps and eroding public trust.”

Just this past January, the NHTSA released a proposal for a voluntary national framework that would evaluate and oversee certain vehicles equipped with automated driving systems, which would establish a voluntary review and reporting framework for self-driving vehicles in an effort to streamline that process while also maintaining a focus on safety. Regardless, Ford’s cross-town rival, General Motors, recently opted to end its own robotaxi efforts while Ford is mulling the idea of entering that market – which Waymo currently dominates.