NHTSA, SAE Launch ASCEND to Set AV Safety Standards

There is currently no standardized test for judging how well an automated driving system performs in the real world, TechCrunch reported. People must pass a driver's test before getting a license, but there is no equivalent test or system for autonomous vehicle technology. NHTSA says it is working on an answer through a federal automated vehicle framework that it says will put safety at the foundation without stifling innovation.

Existing federal motor vehicle safety standards, or FMVSS, already govern the vehicles automakers sell today, but those rules were not designed for vehicles such as the Tesla Cybercab and Zoox robotaxi, which lack traditional federally required equipment including pedals and steering wheels, as well as side mirrors and rearview mirrors, according to TechCrunch. NHTSA Administrator Jonathan Morrison said at the AI Horizons Summit in Pittsburgh that the agency wants to avoid playing 'whack-a-mole' with policy decisions or trying to predict how the technology will evolve.

Morrison said the consortium's top priority is ADS competency, which he said will inform and accelerate a corresponding federal motor vehicle safety standard. 'Ultimately, our ADS performance rulemaking will provide federal leadership in this space,' Morrison said at the summit, according to TechCrunch. '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 the consortium will produce ADS standards, TechCrunch reported.

In a separate development, 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, according to TechCrunch. May Mobility operates autonomous Toyota Siennas in three locations and says it will be the first public company in the U.S. focused entirely on autonomous ride-hailing vehicles. TechCrunch senior reporter Sean O'Kane noted that the move will also test May Mobility's 'asset-light' and 'partnership-first' approach to autonomy.

Other deals drew attention. Autonomous vehicle company Beep has merged with Freebee, an on-demand public transportation firm based in Miami, according to TechCrunch. 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.

TechCrunch also reported that 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.