NHTSA To Ease Rules About Robotaxi Deployment While Retaining Crash Reporting Mandates

synopsis

U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy on Thursday unveiled the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) new Automated Vehicle (AV) Framework aimed at slashing red tape and pushing the commercial deployment of autonomous vehicles.

“This Administration understands that we’re in a race with China to out-innovate, and the stakes couldn’t be higher,” Duffy said. “As part of DOT's innovation agenda, our new framework will slash red tape and move us closer to a single national standard that spurs innovation and prioritizes safety.”

The rules mandating crash reporting for vehicles equipped with certain driver assistance systems and automated driving systems will remain in place, the agency said.

It will also streamline the reporting to focus on critical safety information and remove unnecessary requirements.

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 submit requests for similar exceptions, NHTSA said in a letter to autonomous vehicle manufacturers.

From 2016 through 2024, NHTSA exempted 347 imported ADS-equipped vehicles for operations in 295 projects across 31 states under the program, according to NHTSA Chief Counsel Peter Simshauser.

“These are the first steps toward making America a more welcoming environment for the next generation of automotive technology,” he added.

Alphabet Inc.’s (GOOG) Waymo is currently leading autonomous ride-hailing in the U.S. EV maker Tesla Inc. (TSLA) is also eyeing a pilot launch of its robotaxis in Austin by June.

Tesla is also planning to start volume production of its purpose-built robotaxi, called the Cybercab, which features no steering wheels or pedals, in 2026.

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