Trump administration proposes removing brake-pedal rules for AVs

The US Department of Transportation has proposed new changes to federal vehicle regulations that would allow companies to skip including brake pedals in vehicles designed to be driven exclusively by automated driving systems. Under the proposal, the public will have 30 days to comment on the changes before the department decides whether to approve them. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the US regulatory body proposing the changes, stated that removing requirements for parts like brake pedals will theoretically allow companies to get autonomous vehicles on the road quicker.

If adopted, the proposal would remove a major regulatory barrier for companies like Tesla and Zoox, which are developing vehicles intended to be fully autonomous without steering wheels or pedals. Currently, companies developing autonomous vehicles that lack parts required by the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS), the US federal safety regulations for vehicles, must request an exemption from the federal government. Late last year, NHTSA proposed removing other FMVSS requirements, such as those for windshield wiping and defogging systems. NHTSA Administrator Jonathan Morrison framed the new proposal as a step to modernize the regulatory framework, stating: “If we want America to lead the way, we have to reimagine our regulatory framework. That’s why under Secretary Sean Duffy’s AV Framework, NHTSA is tearing down pointless barriers to innovative designs while strengthening the fundamental safety requirements that matter and holding AV developers accountable for safe performance.”

Tesla has spent the last few years developing a two-seater vehicle called the Cybercab, which is designed to operate without a steering wheel or pedals. While Tesla has never applied for an FMVSS exemption, CEO Elon Musk has stated that the company would deploy the vehicles nationwide once regulatory approval is granted. In the meantime, Tesla has been operating a robotaxi service in Austin, Texas. The company began the service with safety drivers in the front seats but has transitioned to operating them “unsupervised.” Tesla has admitted to NHTSA that it uses teleoperators, or remote human operators, to monitor and, in rare cases, move the vehicles remotely at low speeds after crashes or to avoid obstacles.

The proposed rule change specifically targets purpose-built autonomous vehicles, contrasting with the approach of competitors like Waymo. Waymo deploys retrofitted or modified versions of regular vehicles that already have manual controls, allowing them to deploy fleets without the same regulatory constraints. Meanwhile, Amazon-owned Zoox was granted an exemption from FMVSS standards last year to demonstrate its purpose-built robotaxi, and is currently waiting on another exemption to operate the vehicle commercially.

Why it matters

This proposal removes a significant regulatory hurdle for companies designing purpose-built autonomous vehicles, potentially shifting the competitive landscape for robotaxi operators in the US.