Key facts
- NHTSA administrator Jonathan Morrison issued a directive to autonomous vehicle developers concerning interference with first responders.
- The directive emphasizes that emergency scenes are not edge cases and require immediate attention.
- Waymo has a history of run-ins with first responders, and its vehicles were towed during a recent San Francisco traffic jam.
- Proposed changes to Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards could benefit AV companies developing vehicles without traditional controls.
- Rivian raised approximately $1.32 billion in new capital.
- AssuranceAmerica confirmed a data breach affecting 6.9 million people's personal and driver's license information.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has issued a directive to autonomous vehicle (AV) developers, emphasizing the unacceptability of vehicles interfering with first responders and law enforcement. Administrator Jonathan Morrison stated that the inability to detect and appropriately respond to emergency scenes represents a functional insufficiency, urging developers to immediately address this issue.
While the letter was sent to all AV developers listed in the Department of Transportation’s Standing General Order, it appears to be directed at Waymo, which operates the largest robotaxi fleet in the U.S. Waymo has reportedly had repeated run-ins with first responders, and numerous Waymo robotaxis were towed after running out of power during a recent traffic jam in San Francisco. San Francisco supervisor Bilal Mahmood plans to submit a letter of inquiry to examine the impact of AVs on public transit and emergency responders.
The NHTSA has requested companies present solutions by the end of the month. Separately, the new 2026 Regulatory Plan and Unified Agenda includes proposed changes to Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards that could benefit AV companies developing vehicles without traditional controls like steering wheels or pedals.
In other mobility news, the partnership between Uber and Waymo in Phoenix has ended, though they maintain services in Atlanta and Austin. Rivian announced it expects to raise approximately $1.32 billion in new capital. Other deals include Bidbus raising $15 million in Series A funding, Lyft's planned acquisition of Serveo’s bike-share business in Spain, and TaiSan, a UK battery startup, raising £4.65 million in seed funding.
Notable tidbits include AssuranceAmerica confirming a data breach affecting 6.9 million people, Beta Technologies completing operational flights under the FAA's eVTOL Integration Pilot Program, the creation of two new exchange-traded funds targeting negative sentiment towards Elon Musk, and Manna Aero scaling up its drone delivery operations in the U.S.