President-elect Donald Trump’s transition team has indicated plans to prioritize the development of a federal framework for fully self-driving vehicles, with the U.S. Department of Transportation set to play a key role, according to a Bloomberg report on Sunday.
The move is expected to benefit prominent Tesla CEO Elon Musk, a staunch Trump supporter who invested heavily in the campaign and has taken a leadership role in the new Department of Government Efficiency, focused on cutting regulations and restructuring federal agencies.
Musk has shifted Tesla’s focus towards self-driving technology, moving away from his earlier plan to build an affordable EV priced under $30,000. Last month, Musk unveiled the two-seat Cybercab prototype, a vehicle without steering wheels or pedals, which currently faces challenges due to federal regulations that limit the deployment of vehicles lacking these traditional controls. The Trump administration’s push for a self-driving vehicle framework could help streamline the regulatory process and allow for wider deployment of autonomous vehicles like Tesla’s Cybercab.
Reports indicate that the Trump team is actively seeking policy leaders to help create these guidelines within the Transportation Department. Additionally, there are early discussions in Congress about a bipartisan bill to create federal regulations for autonomous vehicles.
Currently, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) allows car manufacturers to deploy up to 2,500 self-driving vehicles per year under an exemption, though efforts to increase the cap have been unsuccessful.
One potential candidate for Transportation Secretary is Emil Michael, former Uber executive and Trump donor, who is known to have close ties to Musk. Michael, who served as Uber’s Vice President of Business from 2013 to 2017, could bring valuable experience to the role as discussions around the future of autonomous vehicles continue to unfold.
