Bill backed by GM would prohibit tech companies from testing autonomous vehicles in some states

Known in some states Safe Autonomous vehicle acts, draft legislation that would only allow vehicle manufacturers to test autonomous vehiclefleets—excluding companies likeUberandGoogle—is currently being considered in some states.

Legislation began in May in Michigan when a package of bills permitted the testing of autonomous vehicles without a steering wheel or brake pedal. This package, according to Automotive News, included Senate Bill 996, known as the SAVe Act, which was drafted with input from General Motors, and sought to make it so only companies that build vehicles could operate fleets without driving controls. These bills were signed into law in December after language in them was revised to change the definition of “motor vehicle manufacturer” based on input from Uber and Waymo to include companies developing and testing self-driving systems.

However, Tennessee, Georgia, Maryland, and Illinois are reviewing these SAVe bills that contain the original language, which impacts which companies can test vehicles in those states. As a result, technology companies, self-driving vehicle advocacy groups, and even other automakers have expressed concern about SAVe legislation and the potential negative effects of excluding competitive companies.

"It's not a good idea to close the door on innovators who might come up with a solution and be a good and valuable partner," said Brad Stertz, director of government affairs for Audi of America in the Auto News article. "Competition is one of great things spurring this revolution since it started."

For UberandWaymo, it isn’t hard to see why they oppose this. Uber has been working on autonomous vehicles for a few years, and recently announced plans to open an autonomous vehicle research center in Michigan. Meanwhile Waymo, which began as Google’s self-driving car project in 2009, has been doing the same. In 2015, it had the world’s first fully self-driving ride on public roads, and since then, has logged more than 2 million miles in self-driven mode.

While these companies would only be prohibited from testing in five states, it stands to reason that they should be given a level playing field to develop these technologies wherever vehicle manufacturers are allowed to do the same.

View the Automotive News article.

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