The U.S. government is moving to relax key safety regulations to speed up the rollout of self-driving vehicles, as domestic tech and automotive firms accelerate autonomous driving plans.
Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy on Thursday announced the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's (NHTSA) updated Automated Vehicle Framework, a set of reforms aimed at cutting regulatory barriers for commercial deployment. The changes include allowing certain vehicles without traditional features—like rearview mirrors—to legally operate on U.S. roads.
“These reforms reflect how seriously we take innovation leadership, especially as we compete with China,” Duffy said during the rollout.
NHTSA also plans to simplify crash reporting for self-driving software and expand its exemption program to include non-compliant vehicles built in the U.S.—a shift from the current focus on imported models. Still, the agency confirmed it will maintain its general order requiring crash disclosures from vehicles using advanced driver-assistance and automated driving systems.
The timing aligns with growing momentum from companies like Alphabet's (GOOG, Financial) Waymo, Tesla (TSLA, Financial), and Amazon's (AMZN, Financial) Zoox. Waymo, which currently operates the only paid robotaxi service in the U.S., plans to expand into Washington, DC by 2026 and is already serving more than 250,000 paid trips weekly—up fivefold from a year ago. CEO Sundar Pichai recently hinted that personal ownership of Waymo vehicles could be on the table in the future.
Tesla is also scaling up fast. During its earnings call, CEO Elon Musk confirmed that paid rides using Tesla robotaxis will launch in Austin by June and spread to multiple cities by year-end. Musk noted that Tesla's approach allows far more affordability and scalability compared to rivals like Waymo, whose vehicles are high-cost and low-volume.
As the policy environment becomes more supportive, the U.S. robotaxi race is quickly moving from tests and pilots to broader rollout plans. For the industry, a regulatory green light could open the door for faster adoption—and fierce competition.
