Tillis supports new car technology maintaining U.S. industrial leadership

U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) united with a bipartisan group of senators in urging Senate appropriations leaders to support self-driving cars to maintain American leadership in technology, innovation and manufacturing.

Specifically, the lawmakers have requested that federal funding for testing and development of connected and automated vehicle (CAV) technology be incorporated into any 2018 negotiated government spending package, according to a Jan. 18 letter signed by Sen. Tillis and four Democrats, U.S. Sens. Debbie Stabenow and Gary Peters from Michigan, Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin, and Bill Nelson from Florida.

“The auto industry is in the midst of a seismic technological shift that will revolutionize the transportation of people and goods in our lifetime,” the senators wrote to Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing, Urban Development, and Related Agencies Chairman Susan Collins (R-ME) and Ranking Member Jack Reed (D-RI).

“Ensuring that American innovators can safely develop and implement this technology will not only save lives but also solidify our nation’s position as the world leader in the future of mobility,” the letter said.

The senators noted that as international companies develop connected and automated vehicles overseas, the United States risks ruining its leadership position if steps aren’t taken “to facilitate the continued advancement of these technologies in the United States.”

“It is critical that the federal government play a leadership role in ensuring that CAV technologies are safely developed and tested,” they wrote.

The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) has acknowledged this imperative, as well, the senators wrote, with a nationwide call for proposals from facilities for designation as Automated Vehicle Proving Grounds. DOT chose 10 initial proving grounds that comprise a federal community of practice for testing and deploying CAV and related technology.

Establishing the proving grounds “was a crucial first step” in CAV technology advancement in the United States, but DOT needs “robust funding” so that the 10 sites can be used “to their maximum potential and pave the way for the safe deployment of these technologies,” the senators wrote.

Sen. Tillis’ office cited the American Center for Mobility as an example of one of the proving grounds. Located in Ypsilanti, Mich., it uses the reactivated Willow Run industrial site where B-24 bombers were built. The facility was purposely designed for CAV research, development and testing, as well as certification matters and education.

Safety was also a central consideration for the senators, who wrote that connected and self-driving cars will help reduce the number of deaths that annually occur on U.S. roads and highways. And in their letter, the senators urged appropriators to direct DOT to also use forthcoming funding for safety research and testing at its designated proving grounds.