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TechCrunch Mobility: Blue-green is the color of autonomy
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U.S. federal safety regulators continue to tackle the sticky problem of autonomous vehicles, this time with a proposal that could signal to the public, quite literally, when a vehicle is operating autonomously.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has proposed new lighting requirements for autonomous vehicles that include an option (dare I say a strong suggestion?) to use cyan-colored lights to signal when a vehicle is operating autonomously without a human occupant monitoring the road.
The agency is not proposing a mandate for blue-green lights. Importantly, under the proposal, the lights would be used when an AV is operating in autonomous mode.
Still, federal regulators are clearly seeking some uniform way of identifying autonomous vehicles.
The proposal establishes equipment specifications, including where the lights are mounted, the color they emit, and how they’re activated. It would also remove requirements for manually operated controls for turn signals, high beams, and hazard lights.
Under the proposal, the NHTSA suggests the lights be cyan (blue-green), remain steadily illuminated rather than flash, and be visible from the front, rear, and both sides.
This latest proposal is one piece of a bigger effort to update regulations that help speed up the adoption of AVs while maintaining safety, according to NHTSA administrator Jonathan Morrison.
The agency is already working on a federal automated vehicle framework and is trying to update federal motor vehicle safety standards, which already govern automakers today. For instance, FMVSS rules were not designed for vehicles like the Tesla Cybercab and Zoox robotaxi, which lack traditional, federally required equipment like pedals, steering wheels, and design features like side mirrors and rearview mirrors.
While the feds wrestle over regulating the future of transportation, GM laid out how it plans to be part of it. The automaker held its annual GM Forward event, and a lot of what was announced builds on last year’s push into AI. But now we have more details and dates.