S. 1798: Autonomous Vehicle Acceleration Act of 2025

S. 1798, the Autonomous Vehicle Acceleration Act of 2025, is built around a simple idea: many federal vehicle rules were written for cars with steering wheels, pedals, driver seats, and a person in control, while newer autonomous vehicles may not fit that model. The bill defines an autonomous vehicle as one with an automated driving system that can perform the entire dynamic driving task on a sustained basis without any expected involvement by a human driver, and it specifically covers Level 4 and Level 5 systems under SAE International Standard J3016 dated April 2021.

The bill gives the Secretary of Transportation, acting through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 1 year after enactment to address all certification challenges identified in the March 2016 Volpe Center report on barriers in the Federal motor vehicle safety standards. That includes dealing with safety rules based on the presumption of a human driver and equipment specifications that do not account for autonomous designs, such as seating layouts, cabin configuration, window placement, and driver controls. To do that, the Secretary may develop, amend, interpret, or exempt FMVSS requirements and may create exemption processes consistent with 49 U.S.C. 30114(a).

It also requires a broader roadmap for commercial-scale deployment of Level 4 and Level 5 autonomous vehicles, also due not later than 1 year after enactment. That roadmap must support U.S. design, manufacturing, and deployment, promote U.S. leadership in global markets and supply chains, identify ways to lower practical, technological, and regulatory barriers, recommend a risk hierarchy and a standard of safety, and include a supplemental technology assessment covering post-2016 industry developments and emerging safety concerns.

Congress would get an early progress check and a later accounting. The Secretary must submit a preliminary update on the supplemental technology assessment within 180 days after enactment, then submit a report on the Volpe-related fixes within 180 days after the 1-year implementation deadline, or 545 days after enactment. The roadmap must also be sent to the relevant congressional committees and made public, which means industry, safety advocates, and state regulators would all be able to scrutinize how the federal government plans to handle self-driving vehicles next.