US-China tech war: senators renew push to advance self-driving cars to compete with China
- Democrat Gary Peters and Republican John Thune call for law amendments that make it easier to deploy autonomous vehicles in the US
- Current safety standards for cars are written with human drivers in mind
Two US senators are working to attach legislation to allow automakers to deploy tens of thousands of self-driving vehicles on US roads to a bipartisan China bill, a significant reform that could help speed the commercial use of automated vehicles.
Senators Gary Peters, a Democrat, and John Thune, a Republican, have circulated a draft amendment seen by Reuters that would grant the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) the power to initially exempt 15,000 self-driving vehicles per manufacturer from safety standards written with human drivers in mind. The figure would rise to 80,000 within three years.
The pair hope to win Senate Commerce Committee approval for their amendment on Wednesday when the panel takes up a bill to provide US$100 billion in funding for science and technology research and development over concerns about maintaining US competitiveness with China.
The amendment would also allow self-driving companies to disable human driving controls in vehicles when in full self-driving mode.
The bill says “the United States risks losing its technological leadership in the autonomous vehicle industry, which is a global market opportunity worth an estimated US$8 trillion, unless it enacts policies to protect its leadership against the People’s Republic of China and other competitors.”
Peters, who chairs a subcommittee overseeing NHTSA, said in a statement the amendment will “ensure that the innovation and testing around autonomous vehicles can continue happening safely under the watchful eye of the Department of Transportation.”