NHTSA Proposes Cyan Lights for Autonomous Vehicles as GM Sets 2028 Autonomy Targets

The proposal sets equipment specifications for the lights, including where they are mounted, the color they emit and how they are activated. Under the plan, the lights would be cyan, remain steadily illuminated rather than flash, and be visible from the front, rear and both sides of the vehicle. The proposal would also remove requirements for manually operated controls for turn signals, high beams and hazard lights.

NHTSA Administrator Jonathan Morrison said the lighting proposal is one part of a broader effort to update regulations that can speed the adoption of autonomous vehicles while maintaining safety. The agency is already working on a federal automated vehicle framework and trying to update federal motor vehicle safety standards. Those standards were not designed for vehicles such as the Tesla Cybercab and Zoox robotaxi, which lack traditional federally required equipment including pedals, steering wheels, side mirrors and rearview mirrors.

Separately, General Motors used its annual GM Forward event to detail a planned overhaul of the electrical and computational systems in its future vehicles. The automaker said the changes are intended to deliver faster software, more capable automated driving features and a custom conversational AI assistant that will change its 30-year-old OnStar service. The technology is set to debut in 2028 with the Cadillac Escalade IQ.

GM also plans to roll out an autonomous highway driving feature in 2028 that will allow drivers to take their hands and eyes off the road without needing to be ready to take over. The company has adopted enterprise AI across the business to cut its traditional four- to five-year development timeline in half. TechCrunch Mobility noted that previous efforts by GM and other legacy automakers were interpreted as bids to compete with Tesla, and said this time GM appears to be preparing for a bigger fight.

In transportation deals, Rivian has acquired Third Dimension, a U.K. startup founded by veterans of the gaming and autonomous vehicle industries that uses AI to turn images and videos into lifelike 3D worlds. The deal is focused on simulation and on bringing driving data into a virtual world that matches the physical world. James Philbin, Rivian's head of autonomy, told TechCrunch Mobility that the company knew it needed technology that could close the "sim-to-real gap," the data gap between real and simulated environments. The terms were not released. Third Dimension previously raised a $7 million seed round and has about 15 engineers. Rivian did not disclose the deal in an SEC filing, meaning it did not meet the threshold for material information.

Ride-hailing company inDrive, which lets passengers and drivers negotiate fares, is working with Chinese autonomous driving firm Pony.ai and Nvidia to begin testing robotaxis in Kazakhstan in 2027. The companies signed a memorandum of understanding to explore bringing Pony.ai's robotaxis to inDrive's platform.

Editor's Summary

The NHTSA proposal would create an optional cyan-light signal for autonomous operation and revise equipment rules, while GM set 2028 targets for a new electrical architecture and hands-off highway driving. Rivian's Third Dimension acquisition and the inDrive-Pony.ai-Nvidia robotaxi test in Kazakhstan show continued consolidation and cross-border testing in autonomous-driving technology.