On April 25, reports stated that the USA government will relax regulations on autonomous driving, reducing the originally cumbersome accident reporting process, allowing non-commercial test vehicles to skip certain compliance procedures. This move is seen as the USA's largest deregulation regarding autonomous driving, directly addressing the core demand for Tesla, and giving the green light for Musk's plan to launch the Cybercab autonomous taxi fleet in Texas this June.
On Friday in the USA stock market, $Tesla (TSLA.US)$ during the session, it surged over 7%, with the stock price reported at $277.86, rebounding nearly 15% this week.
In the news, the Trump administration has introduced new regulations, this time to greenlight autonomous driving.
On Friday, April 25, according to media reports, the Trump administration will relax regulations on autonomous driving and reduce the originally cumbersome accident reporting process, which is considered the largest loosening of regulations on autonomous driving in the USA.
As long as the autonomous vehicle is used for "testing, demonstration, research" and other non-commercial purposes, some compliance procedures can be bypassed.
In short, it will be easier for autonomous vehicles to be tested on the road, the process will be faster, and automakers will find it easier to conduct experiments and demonstrations, with innovation no longer hindered by red tape.
Duffy also explained:
"This administration understands that we are entering an innovation race, and the stakes have never been higher. Our new framework will reduce red tape and bring us closer to a nationwide uniform standard that promotes innovation while prioritizing safety."
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) also committed in an open letter to developers of autonomous vehicles: "We will eliminate unnecessary regulatory barriers that hinder innovation."
The authorities have given the green light to autonomous driving, directly addressing Tesla's core demands.
This policy change directly addresses the core demands. $Tesla (TSLA.US)$ the core demands.
Currently, Tesla has sold over 2 million Autos in the USA with autonomous driving assistance features, and the iteration of its FSD (Full Self-Driving) system relies on extensive road testing and data feedback. However, in the past, Tesla's innovation speed was frequently constrained by compliance processes.
This policy aligns perfectly with Musk's intentions. Musk's new plan is to launch a fleet of Cybercab autonomous taxis in Austin, Texas this June, operating without a steering wheel, accelerator, or brake, solely relying on autonomous driving.
However, the reality is that this model does not meet the roadworthy standards stipulated by NHTSA, so Musk will have to apply for an exemption from NHTSA to legally operate it, and historically, only one startup company has been granted such an exemption, making it very challenging.
Musk believes that each state and city has different autonomous driving regulations, which is quite chaotic. He hopes to establish a nationally standardized framework across the USA to facilitate mass promotion, otherwise, just coping with regulations reduces efficiency.
However, there is always tension between regulation and innovation. Although FSD is called fully autonomous driving, Tesla's FSD system still requires a person to sit in the driver's seat and constantly monitor the road conditions; it does not truly drive itself, unlike Google's Waymo taxis, which can operate without any supervision.
NHTSA continues to pay attention to Tesla, with 8 ongoing investigations, 5 of which are related to Tesla's autonomous driving system. Musk is very dissatisfied with NHTSA's previous collision report regulations, as NHTSA relies on this "collision accident report" to investigate Tesla's software defects due to the lack of dedicated federal regulations for autonomous driving.
More sensitively, media investigations this month revealed that Musk's "Department of Government Efficiency" made a significant move by firing a large number of new NHTSA employees involved in autonomous driving risk assessments. Some insiders worry whether Musk is actually weakening regulation under the guise of improving efficiency.
Editor/danial
