According to external sources, the auto-driving taxi bill currently under consideration in Washington, D.C., has brought companies such as Waymo, Uber, Tesla and Lynft to different positions. The dispute is not only about whether to let robotaxi go, but also about who can enter the market more quickly and who will have the right to operate in the future.
Uber is against the existing bill.
According to TechCrunch, Uber objected to the current version of the bill on the grounds that it could squeeze artificial Internet-based drivers and give Waymo a de facto pre-emptive advantage. The alternative to Uber lobbying is to require robotaxi to have access to the Internet-based platform and to operate with manual drivers.
According to those quoted close to the discussion, this “mixed model” is less likely to become law. But if it does land, the autopilot company will face two undesired options: either access the motorcade to a platform like Uber or maintain the manual driver system outside the robotaxi.
Waymo or get a pre-emptive window
According to the article, Waymo is one of the few companies that generally supports the Act. The reason is that part of the threshold in the bill is more favourable to it. Waymo has now been tested in Washington, D.C., using an auto-driving vehicle with a security guard, and has exceeded the length and mileage required by the Act.
If the bill is passed in its current form, Waymo may receive at least six months of market advance. In contrast, other autopilot developers still need to fill the test requirements, and entry rhythms may be pulled.
Industry disputes focused on costs and testing
At the hearing on Monday this week, Tesla, Uber, Waymo, Lyft, as well as accessibility organizations, trade unions, industry groups and government representatives, took the floor. Several companies have challenged the test and fee clauses in the Act.
- Compulsory test period is 180 days
- Compulsory testing of 250,000 miles.
- The application fee is $1 million.
In addition, the bill proposes a licence fee of $5 million and a tax fee of 0.15 per mile. At the hearing, the Tesla policy team stated that the test mileage accumulated by enterprises in other areas should also be included in the threshold, otherwise the cost of new entrants would be raised.
Multiple Synchronization of AutoDriving Review
This debate reflects the shift of competition in the United States auto-driving industry from technical testing to rule-making. Those who can influence local regulatory frameworks may gain greater advantage in the early stages of commercialization.
The article also mentioned that the Mayor of San Francisco, Daniel Lurie, had recently requested state regulators to tighten the automatic driving rules. The background is that the robotaxi of Waymo once lost mobility, depleted electricity and blocked roads during the U.S. Independence Day peak. At the same time, Zoox was called back because a robotaxi was disturbed by smoke at the fire site.
From this point of view, the legislative controversy in Washington, D.C., is not an isolated event, but a microcosm of the security, access and platform control struggle during the expansion of the United States robotaxi.