U.S. Unveils Voluntary Data-Sharing Project for Autonomous and Automated Vehicles

As states set the rules for automated and autonomous vehicles, a cornucopia of different regulations has emerged, leading to testing in AV-friendly states like Arizona. The federal government is also trying to establish a database for the cornucopia.

The Department of Transportation just launched a nationwide program, abbreviated “AV TEST” (trust me, you don’t want me to write out the full name). It’s a voluntary effort to collect and share more self-driving test data across the U.S. The initial participants:

• Companies: Beep, Cruise, Fiat Chrysler, Local Motors, Navya, Nuro, Toyota, Uber, and Waymo
• States: California, Florida, Maryland, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Utah

Don’t expect the information floodgates to open. AV companies keep competitive information (like fleet size) close to the vest. And California, where many of the industry’s biggest players are based, unsurprisingly has the most stringent disclosure rules.

Silver lining: If nothing else, AV TEST could help spread more awareness about automated and autonomous driving. Most U.S. adults remain highly skeptical of the technologies.