Decision close on US rules for AVs

Ford and General Motors are waiting to learn whether they will gain exemptions to use self-driving features.

Both want two-year temporary exemptions from several US Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) that will help them develop and manufacture autonomous vehicles (AVs) and test them on public roads.

AVs don’t have manual controls used by human drivers, such as steering wheels and pedals, so if the exemptions are approved by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) the Ford and GM driverless vehicles could be allowed on the road without even rear-view mirrors, windshield wipers, transparent glass, and other driver controls.

The NHTSA extended the public comment period to September 21 on both applications which were submitted in July.

GM and Ford want to deploy the maximum allowable 2500 AVs annually for ride sharing and delivery services, GM aiming to start manufacturing its Cruise Origin AV in 2023.

The NHTSA reportedly already no longer requires AVs to have a steering wheel and pedals, finalising such a rule in March which updates standards about six years after it began, allowing automotive manufacturers to test AVs in a limited fashion.