Trump admin proposes axing brake pedal requirement for AVs in a boost for Tesla

The U.S. Department of Transportation proposed on January 17, 2020, to remove the requirement for a brake pedal in vehicles designed for exclusive use by automated driving systems. This proposed rule change, published in the Federal Register, would allow for the design and deployment of vehicles that do not require human intervention or manual control. The agency stated that existing Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards were written with the assumption of a human driver and may impede the development of autonomous vehicle technology. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), part of the Department of Transportation, is seeking public comment on this proposal. This move could potentially benefit companies like Tesla, which are heavily invested in developing and deploying self-driving capabilities, by removing a design constraint that might be unnecessary for fully autonomous vehicles.