The Self-Driving Revolution: Cars Without Steering Wheels or Rear-View Mirrors Are Coming to a Street Near You Sooner Than You Think

While autonomous vehicles are expected to save countless lives, many companies have abandoned projects after years of development, partly due to lengthy and cumbersome approval processes. The administration of former President Trump aimed to address this through the NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration). The agency announced plans to reorganize the Part 555 exemption process to “facilitate the safe development of autonomous vehicles.”

US Secretary of Transportation, Sean Duffy, remarked, “The Part 555 exemption process has been criticized for taking years, miring developers in unnecessary red tape and failing to keep pace with the latest technologies.” He seemed to allude to the case of the Cruise Origin project, which was discontinued last year.

In fact, the Cruise Origin project had applied for a temporary exemption from six safety standards to the NHTSA as early as February 17, 2022. GM argued that this self-driving model did not need to comply with certain rules due to its unique design and performance. For instance, GM contended that the Cruise Origin, being a fully automated vehicle, did not require rearview mirrors or a digital display. However, despite these seemingly reasonable arguments, Cruise had to endure a lengthy wait.

In a letter to stakeholders, NHTSA acknowledged that the current method is designed for traditional vehicles and is “ill-suited to handle in a timely manner exemption petitions involving autonomous vehicles or to oversee the complex issues associated with their operation.” The government has focused on areas that “particularly prolong review times” to address this issue. Among the changes are more detailed registration guidelines and “a more flexible and dynamic approach to evaluating and overseeing exemptions for vehicles equipped with ADS.”

With these changes, manufacturers can sell up to 2,500 vehicles per year that do not fully comply with the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards. This includes vehicles without steering wheels, driver-operated brakes, or traditional rearview mirrors. However, companies “must demonstrate that their vehicles provide an equivalent level of safety to those that comply and that the exemption is in the public interest.”

Peter Simshauser, NHTSA’s Senior Advisor, believes that these changes will “foster innovation by supporting the commercial deployment of specialized automated vehicles that can meet safety requirements.” He added that the government is working to “modernize” safety standards for autonomous vehicles, and exemptions will play a crucial role in the coming years.