TechCrunch Mobility: How do we know when an AV is safe enough?

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One of the stickier problems for autonomous vehicle developers, regulators, and the public is determining when self-driving technology is safe enough for the road. So far, that question has largely fallen to industry to answer — companies that are applying their autonomous vehicle technology to self-driving trucks, robotaxis, and maybe someday personally owned passenger vehicles. 

Today, there is no standardized test for judging how well an automated driving system performs in the real world. We require people to pass a driver’s test before getting a license, but there isn’t an equivalent test or system for autonomous vehicle technology. 

So how do we know whether an AV is a safe driver? The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says it’s working on an answer. 

Federal motor vehicle safety standards (FMVSS) already govern the vehicle automakers sell today. But those FMVSS rules weren’t designed for vehicles like the Tesla Cybercab and Zoox robotaxi, which lack traditional, and federally required, equipment like pedals, steering wheels, and design features like side mirrors and rearview mirrors.  

The NHTSA is working on a federal automated vehicle framework that it says will put safety at the foundation without stifling innovation, or as Administrator Jonathan Morrison put it this week, force the agency to play “whack-a-mole” with policy decisions or try to predict how the technology will evolve. That’s a tricky recipe to get right. 

The agency took a notable step toward that goal this week by reaching an agreement with SAE to launch ASCEND, a government-industry initiative aimed at speeding up the development of data-driven AV performance standards. 

“Our top priority for this consortium is ADS competency, which will inform and accelerate a corresponding federal motor vehicle safety standard,” Morrison said at the AI Horizons Summit in Pittsburgh. “Ultimately, our ADS performance rulemaking will provide federal leadership in this space. By delivering an AV competency standard, we hope we’ll be able to address the burgeoning past patchwork of inconsistent state and local level requirements, and continue to encourage American innovation and promote the safe deployment and development of these vehicles on the road.”

There is no timeline yet for when this consortium will produce ADS standards. But I bet the AV industry is already weighing in.

Note: Want to hear Morrison’s complete comments? Check out this video of the AI Horizons Summit, and fast-forward to the 04:36:00 mark.

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Deals!

Will Wall Street invest in a pure-play robotaxi company? We’re about to find out. 

Autonomous vehicle company May Mobility plans to go public through a merger with special purpose acquisition company ACP Holdings Acquisition Corp. in a deal that could raise more than $300 million at a valuation of $1.4 billion. 

There are other publicly traded companies working on autonomous vehicle technology: Aurora and Kodiak, which are both focused on self-driving trucks; Rivian; and Tesla. And while Waymo is not (yet) publicly traded, its parent company Alphabet is. It’s the same story for Amazon-owned Zoox. 

But May Mobility, which operates autonomous Toyota Siennas in three locations, says it will be the first public company in the U.S. focused entirely on autonomous ride-hailing vehicles. Senior reporter Sean O’Kane notes this will also be a test of May Mobility’s “asset-light” and “partnership-first” approach to autonomy.  

Other deals that got my attention …

Autonomous vehicle company Beep has merged with Freebee, an on-demand public transportation firm based in Miami. The combined company will be called Beep and will be led by Beep co-founder Kevin Reid as chair and CEO. Freebee co-founders Kris Kimball and Jason Spiegel will join as chief operating officer and president and chief growth officer, respectively.

Lucid Motors struck a partnership with European mobility platform Bolt to “deploy at least 25,000 fully autonomous vehicles” built on the EV maker’s upcoming midsize EV architecture, which is supposed to be smaller and cheaper than its current offerings.

R3 Lithium, a battery recycling startup based in Georgia, raised $15 million in a Series A round that included funding from TDK Ventures, Integral GlobalTech Partners, and Axial Partners.

Notable reads and other tidbits

Cybersecurity teams with the U.S. Coast Guard and FBI boarded two U.S.-bound oil tankers after hackers reportedly compromised at least one of the ship’s networks and took control of its navigation, propulsion, and cargo systems.

GM unveiled a new user interface for its full-size pickups, the Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra, a makeover that includes picture-in-picture displays for Apple CarPlay and Android Automotive. 

An aircraft equipped with Joby Aviation’s autonomy technology flew more than 3,100 miles across the United States without a human pilot taking control at any point. As I noted in my article, this should be viewed as more than a splashy demo.

ShinyHunters hacking group published hundreds of thousands of files from a Florida state database of vehicles and driver information. 

U.S. automakers may be forced to build AM radio into new vehicles within the next year after the House overwhelmingly approved the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act. EV makers have eschewed AM receivers because the electromagnetic interference generated by electric motors can affect the frequencies used by AM radio.

Volkswagen unveiled a new prototype electric vehicle with record-breaking efficiency.

Waymo restarted its robotaxi service in San Antonio, Texas, five months after one of its vehicles was swept away during a flash flood. The company also launched a new robotaxi service in Las Vegas and announced it was headed to Singapore, where it would begin mapping and eventually testing its AV tech.

Wayve hired Elisa de Martel as its next CFO, an executive who has held several top financial jobs at tech companies, including Waymo. 

Zoox is currently under a 100-vehicle cap in Las Vegas, the only market in which it operates a commercial service. That cap expires September 25, clearing the way for the Amazon-owned company to expand its commercial fleet of custom-built robotaxis.