Immigrating to the United States friends have learned that as early as 2013 summer, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration publicly released classification standards for autonomous vehicles, which has been viewed as the U.S. government's preparation for the introduction of autonomous vehicles on the roads.
However, in the fall of 2013, representatives from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration stated that discussions regarding autonomous vehicles were clearly "immature."
Last October, Tesla Motors launched its autonomous driving feature, a groundbreaking move that triggered a chain reaction worldwide. Just a few weeks ago, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration decided, for regulatory purposes, that the software in autonomous vehicles should be considered the driver of the vehicle.
The U.S. Senate Commerce Committee recently announced that representatives from Google and several other autonomous vehicle development companies will gather in Washington, D.C., where they will testify before lawmakers regarding the current state of development in the autonomous vehicle sector and its future significance.
The announcement from the U.S. Senate Commerce Committee stated: "The hearing will reveal the advancements in automotive autonomous technology and the benefits it brings to Americans. Representatives from automotive manufacturers will testify on the development of autonomous vehicles, how to gain government support, and how to attract consumers to purchase autonomous vehicles."
The aforementioned hearing will take place on March 15 at 2:30 PM local time. Participants in the hearing will include:
Chris Urmson, Director of Autonomous Vehicle Business at Google X
Mike Ableson, Vice President of Project Management at General Motors
Glen DeVos, Vice President of Global Engineering and Services, Electrical and Safety Affairs at Delphi Automotive
Joseph Okpaku, Vice President of Government Relations at Lyft
Mary (Missy) Louise Cummings, Director of the Humans and Autonomy Lab and Duke Robotics Program at Duke University.
Why hold a hearing now? The pace of autonomous vehicle introduction is much faster than most people imagine. Most automotive manufacturers have committed to launching at least one autonomous vehicle by 2020. Industry insiders believe that the 2020 timeline is already lagging behind the pace of the entire industry, and it is noteworthy that some manufacturers are already introducing new models that support semi-autonomous driving features, while the market introduction of fully autonomous vehicles is merely a matter of time.
The advantages of autonomous vehicles are self-evident, but there are still many concerns and doubts surrounding them, especially after Google recently acknowledged that its autonomous vehicle was involved in an accident, this sentiment has become more pronounced. The U.S. Senate's hearing on autonomous vehicles is seen as a proactive move by the administration to familiarize itself with the industry's development status and prepare for the widespread introduction of autonomous vehicles.
