US President Donald Trump’s administration will reveal modified self-driving standards within the next months, the head of the United States Transportation Department stated on Monday, responding to automakers’ calls for regulations that will remove barriers and permit autonomous vehicles on the road.
“The pressure is mounting for the federal government to do something” regarding autonomous vehicles, U.S. Transport Secretary Elaine Chao stated on Monday in Detroit. However, Chao informed reporters the government must beware before setting binding standards to govern autonomous vehicles.
“We don’t desire rules that hinder future technological advances,” Chao stated.
Chao was not descriptive about what her department’s proposals would consist of, or how they would vary from policy guidance proposed by the Obama administration.
Companies consisting of Alphabet Inc’s Waymo unit, General Motors, Ford Motor, Uber, Tesla Inc and other are strongly pursuing automated lorry technologies.
“We require a more concrete regulative structure,” stated Ken Washington, chief technology officer of Ford. Car manufacturers might use a clear set of regulations to certify by themselves that an autonomous vehicle is safe, as they can now with traditional vehicles, Washington stated.
Ford Executive Chairman Bill Ford Jr stated in Washington, at a forum that he feels rather confident that the software and hardware will be ready by 2021 for self-driving cars. However other huge concerns loom. “Things like ethics,” Ford stated, stating does the vehicle choose to save 10 pedestrians or the driver. Individual automakers can not configure different ethics software for self-driving automobiles but should work together as a market, Ford stated.
Ron Medford, Waymo’s director of safety, stated in Detroit that he expected autonomous vehicles would appear initially in “managed fleet operations,” not as vehicles sold to people.
