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| California: self-driving cars will not need licensed driver, given federal approval California: self-driving cars will not need licensed driver, given federal approval | |
| (3 months later) | |
| California’s department of motor vehicles said late on Friday the most advanced self-driving cars will no longer be required to have a licensed driver, if federal officials deem them safe enough. | California’s department of motor vehicles said late on Friday the most advanced self-driving cars will no longer be required to have a licensed driver, if federal officials deem them safe enough. |
| The regulator released a revision of draft regulations that opened a pathway for the public to access self-driving cars, prototypes of which automakers and tech companies are testing. | The regulator released a revision of draft regulations that opened a pathway for the public to access self-driving cars, prototypes of which automakers and tech companies are testing. |
| The redrafted regulations will be the subject of a public hearing on 19 October, in Sacramento. | The redrafted regulations will be the subject of a public hearing on 19 October, in Sacramento. |
| The California DMV has been wrestling for several years with how to oversee the emerging technology. In December, the agency released an initial draft of self-driving car regulations that required a licensed driver in any self-driving vehicle. | The California DMV has been wrestling for several years with how to oversee the emerging technology. In December, the agency released an initial draft of self-driving car regulations that required a licensed driver in any self-driving vehicle. |
| The automotive and tech industries reacted with great disappointment, as the ultimate vision of many companies is a car with no steering wheel or pedals. That approach is based on the argument that humans are not very good at driving, and cannot be relied on as a back-up to a car that typically drives itself. | The automotive and tech industries reacted with great disappointment, as the ultimate vision of many companies is a car with no steering wheel or pedals. That approach is based on the argument that humans are not very good at driving, and cannot be relied on as a back-up to a car that typically drives itself. |
| The DMV’s new document coincides with the release last week of a 112-page federal proposal under which any self-driving car should pass a 15-point safety assessment before the public can use it. | The DMV’s new document coincides with the release last week of a 112-page federal proposal under which any self-driving car should pass a 15-point safety assessment before the public can use it. |
| Among other things, the safety assessment asks automakers to document how the car detects and avoids objects and pedestrians; how hardened it is against cyber-attacks; and how its back-up systems will cope should the software fail. | Among other things, the safety assessment asks automakers to document how the car detects and avoids objects and pedestrians; how hardened it is against cyber-attacks; and how its back-up systems will cope should the software fail. |
| In incorporating the federal approach, California dropped a proposal that a third-party company certify the safety of self-driving cars. | In incorporating the federal approach, California dropped a proposal that a third-party company certify the safety of self-driving cars. |
| The new draft regulations released on Friday include several new provisions. Among them is wording that would prohibit advertising vehicles with lower levels of automation – such as Tesla Motors’ Autopilot, which on divided highways can keep a car in its lane, brake and accelerate on the understanding that a person is paying attention all the time – from being advertised as “autonomous” or “self-driving”. | The new draft regulations released on Friday include several new provisions. Among them is wording that would prohibit advertising vehicles with lower levels of automation – such as Tesla Motors’ Autopilot, which on divided highways can keep a car in its lane, brake and accelerate on the understanding that a person is paying attention all the time – from being advertised as “autonomous” or “self-driving”. |
| The company that stands to gain the most from the state’s embrace of cars without a wheel or pedals is Alphabet, where the Google self-driving car project envisions cars that allow no human control other than a start and emergency stop button. | The company that stands to gain the most from the state’s embrace of cars without a wheel or pedals is Alphabet, where the Google self-driving car project envisions cars that allow no human control other than a start and emergency stop button. |
| A spokesman for the Google self-driving car project did not have a comment on the changes to the proposed regulations. | A spokesman for the Google self-driving car project did not have a comment on the changes to the proposed regulations. |