Cars that drive themselves had a big day

The federal government is planning to ease up on rules that are currently reining in the widespread adoption and production of autonomous vehicles. The news comes the same day that demand for robotaxis – specifically Tesla’s Robotaxi – was revealed in a major way.

First, the demand: Tesla launched its Robotaxi app Wednesday night and already it’s the No. 6 most downloaded app in Apple’s free App Store. It’s also currently the top travel app, ahead of perennially popular Uber and Lyft.

Next, the supply: The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said Thursday it’s planning to propose three new rules that will make it easier for self-driving car companies to develop their vehicles more cheaply.

Those include getting rid of requirements that were mandatory for human drivers, including gear shift sticks, windshield defrosting and defogging systems, and some lighting equipment.

“Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards were written for vehicles with human drivers and need to be updated for autonomous vehicles. Removing these requirements will reduce costs and enhance safety,” NHTSA Chief Counsel Peter Simshauser said in a statement.

Earlier this year NHTSA announced it was loosening other rules around autonomous cars, including exempting them from certain federal safety rules for research and demonstration purposes.

The Takeaway

Nobody ever said this is going to be easy, though. It remains to be seen how comfortable people are riding in a vehicle that doesn’t have windshield wipers, and that seems, to both passengers and other drivers on the road, to be flying blind, even if the onboard software can pierce the fog. And we’re surely not the only ones who remember the “Looney Toons” test a Tesla failed.