US regulator proposes blue-green lights to mark autonomous vehicles
The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has proposed new lighting rules for autonomous vehicles, suggesting cyan lights to show when a car is driving itself. The color would not be mandatory.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the US federal agency that oversees vehicle safety, has proposed new lighting requirements for autonomous vehicles. The plan includes an option to use cyan, or blue-green, lights to show that a vehicle is driving autonomously with no human monitoring the road. The aim is to give the public a uniform way to recognize driverless cars.
The agency is not proposing to make the color mandatory. The proposal sets equipment specifications covering where the lights are mounted, what color they emit and how they are activated. NHTSA suggests the lights stay steadily lit rather than flash and be visible from the front, rear and both sides. It would also remove requirements for manually operated controls for turn signals, high beams and hazard lights.
Part of a wider regulatory update
NHTSA administrator Jonathan Morrison said the proposal is one piece of a broader effort to update rules to speed up adoption of autonomous vehicles while maintaining safety. The agency is already working on a federal automated vehicle framework and on revising federal motor vehicle safety standards. Those standards were not designed for vehicles such as the Tesla Cybercab and the Zoox robotaxi, which lack pedals, steering wheels and side and rearview mirrors.
GM sets out 2028 plans
Meanwhile, US automaker General Motors (GM) outlined its plans at its annual GM Forward event. The company is overhauling the electrical and computing architecture of future vehicles to deliver faster software, more capable automated driving features and a conversational AI assistant that will change its 30-year-old OnStar service. The overhaul will debut in 2028 with the Cadillac Escalade IQ. That year GM will also launch an autonomous highway driving feature allowing drivers to take their hands and eyes off the road without needing to be ready to take over. GM is also using enterprise AI to cut its traditional four- to five-year development timeline in half.
Other deals
EV maker Rivian acquired Third Dimension, a UK startup that uses AI to turn images and video into lifelike 3D worlds for simulation. Terms were not disclosed. Separately, Reliable Robotics, which develops autonomous flying technology for existing aircraft, raised $115 million.
