Autonomous Vehicle Acceleration Act of 2025
The Autonomous Vehicle Acceleration Act of 2025 aims to accelerate the development and deployment of high-level autonomous vehicles (Levels 4 and 5) by updating federal safety regulations and planning processes. The bill recognizes that current FMVSS (Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards) were designed around human drivers and may hinder certification and production of fully autonomous vehicles. It directs the Secretary of Transportation (via NHTSA) to address barriers identified in the Volpe Center’s 2016 report, create a roadmap for commercial-scale deployment, and allow regulatory flexibility—including exemptions and updates to safety standards—to reflect non-traditional vehicle designs and autonomous operation. The overarching goal is to preserve U.S. leadership in autonomous vehicle technology while ensuring safety and facilitating faster adoption. Key elements include a formal definition of autonomous vehicles (Level 4 and Level 5), a mandated implementation plan addressing certification challenges, authority to update or exempt FMVSS as needed, and a requirement to produce and periodically update a nationwide roadmap for scalable deployment of Level 4/5 vehicles, including a supplemental technology assessment to capture new innovations and safety considerations.
Key Points
- 1Defines autonomous vehicle (Level 4/5) and related terminology, and positions the Secretary of Transportation (NHTSA) to oversee implementing standards under FMVSS.
- 2Mandates the Secretary to address certification challenges identified by the Volpe Center’s 2016 report within one year, focusing on the presumption of a human driver and test/equipment requirements not suited to autonomous designs.
- 3Grants the Secretary authority to update, interpret, exempt from, or otherwise adjust FMVSS and related guidance to ensure Level 4/5 AVs can be certified without being unduly constrained by traditional human-driver assumptions; includes rulemaking and exemption pathways.
- 4Requires a roadmap within one year to achieve commercial-scale deployment of Level 4/5 AVs, detailing design/manufacturing deployment, U.S. leadership in markets and supply chains, barrier reduction, a risk hierarchy for AV use, and a supplemental technology assessment to inform FMVSS updates.
- 5Obliges an interim progress update within 180 days and periodic updates to the roadmap, with public availability of the roadmap.