Trump team seeks to ease regulations on self-driving cars

Nov 18

Jack Aylmer Reporter

By Jack Aylmer (Reporter), Alex Delia (Producer), Emma Stoltzfus (Video Editor)

President-elect Donald Trump’s team is looking to relax federal regulations for self-driving cars, a move that could reshape the transportation landscape. Tesla CEO Elon Musk is poised to benefit from these changes, as his company has bet big on autonomous vehicle technology.

Bias Distribution Powered by Ground News™

Trump’s transition team is exploring legislative measures to ease restrictions on deploying self-driving vehicles, sources familiar with the plans said.

Download the SAN app today to stay up-to-date with Unbiased. Straight Facts™.

Point phone camera here

Current rules limit manufacturers to only deploy 2,500 vehicles annually under exemptions. However, proposed changes could dramatically increase that number, paving the way for Tesla’s vision of a driverless “robotaxi” fleet.

President-elect Trump has created the Department of Government Efficiency. — Getty Images

Tesla’s stock has surged in response, jumping 7% in pre-market trading Monday, Nov. 18, and gaining 28% since Election Day.

Investors are optimistic about Musk’s ability to influence policy, especially after his recent appointment to co-lead the Department of Government Efficiency, a new Trump administration initiative aimed at cutting regulations and reducing bureaucracy.

"I, Robot" director Alex Proyas accuses Tesla of copying sci-fi robot and vehicle designs for its new autonomous products, sparking debate. — Tesla

Musk’s Cybercab concept, a $30,000 two-seater vehicle without steering wheels or pedals, is central to Tesla’s autonomous vehicle ambitions. However, competition from Google’s Waymo and unresolved regulatory hurdles remain challenges for the company.

While Trump’s team hasn’t finalize plans, discussions include naming policy leaders with experience in transportation innovation, such as former Uber executive Emil Michael.

Bipartisan legislative efforts to regulate self-driving vehicles have repeatedly stalled in Congress but Trump’s return to the White House could revive momentum for federal action.

Campaign surrogates are often rewarded with prominent cabinet positions. But Elon Musk stands to lose a lot more if he enters government life. — Getty Images

Musk’s growing alliance with Trump has sparked both excitement and concern. Critics warn about potential conflicts of interest, while supporters believe this collaboration could accelerate advancements in technology and infrastructure.

Tags: Artificial Intelligence, Automation, Donald Trump, Driverless Cars, Elon Musk, EV, Tesla, Waymo

[Jack]

PRESIDENT-ELECT DONALD TRUMP’S TRANSITION TEAM IS SETTING ITS SIGHTS ON FEDERAL RULES FOR SELF-DRIVING CARS… A MOVE THAT COULD SIGNIFICANTLY THE FUTURE OF AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES, AND SPECIFICALLY IMPACT TESLA AND ITS CEO ELON MUSK, WHO HAS CLOSE TIES TO THE INCOMING ADMINISTRATION.

BLOOMBERG REPORTS TRUMP’S TEAM IS WORKING TO DEVELOP POLICIES THAT COULD REMOVE ROADBLOCKS FOR COMPANIES LIKE TESLA TO DEPLOY DRIVERLESS CARS ON A MUCH LARGER SCALE. CURRENT FEDERAL RULES LIMIT THE DEPLOYMENT OF SELF-DRIVING VEHICLES TO JUST 25-HUNDRED A YEAR PER MANUFACTURER, BUT DISCUSSIONS ARE UNDERWAY TO INCREASE THAT CAP DRAMATICALLY. PREVIOUS LEGISLATIVE ATTEMPTS TO INCREASE THE CAP TO 100-THOUSAND FAILED TO PASS.

WALL STREET IS ALSO TAKING NOTICE. TESLA SHARES JUMPED 7-PERCENT IN PRE-MARKET TRADING AFTER NEWS BROKE OF THESE POTENTIAL POLICY CHANGES. SINCE ELECTION DAY, THE STOCK HAS SOARED 28-PERCENT… REFLECTING INVESTOR OPTIMISM THAT REGULATORY EASING UNDER TRUMP COULD FAST-TRACK TESLA’S AMBITIOUS PLANS.

MUSK HAS BEEN VOCAL ABOUT THE NEED FOR STREAMLINED APPROVAL PROCESSES FOR SELF-DRIVING TECHNOLOGY. HE’S BETTING BIG ON TESLA’S SO-CALLED ROBOTAXI FLEET, WITH PLANS TO ROLL OUT DRIVERLESS VEHICLES LIKE THE CYBERCAB BY 2026.

Elon Musk
“We’ll move from supervised full self-driving, to unsupervised full self-driving where you could fall asleep and wake up at your destination”

EARLIER THIS MONTH, MUSK AND VIVEK RAMASWAMY WERE APPOINTED TO CO-LEAD THE NEW DEPARTMENT OF GOVERNMENT EFFICIENCY… NICKNAMED ‘DOGE’… TASKED WITH CUTTING BUREAUCRATIC RED TAPE AND RELAXING REGULATIONS. IT REMAINS TO BE SEEN HOW TESLA WILL BENEFIT FROM THIS NEW ARRANGEMENT.

THE GROWING ALLIANCE BETWEEN MUSK AND TRUMP CONTINUES DRAWING BOTH PRAISE AND CRITICISM. SUPPORTERS SEE IT AS A STEP TOWARD INNOVATION AND ECONOMIC GROWTH, WHILE CRITICS WORRY ABOUT THE INFLUENCE OF PRIVATE INTERESTS IN PUBLIC POLICY.

FOR MORE UNBIASED UPDATES AND STRAIGHT FACTS… DOWNLOAD THE STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS APP OR VISIT SAN DOT COM.

FOR STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS… I’M JACK AYLMER.