US regulator proposes cyan lights to show a robotaxi is driving itself
The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has proposed optional cyan marker lamps to show that an automated system is driving a vehicle. The draft also removes lighting rules that rely on a human driver's controls.
The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has published a proposal to amend Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 108, which sets vehicle lighting requirements. The changes adapt the rules to autonomous vehicles such as robotaxis, and at their core is a new cyan, or blue-green, marker lamp.
NHTSA says the lamps would let law enforcement and other road users clearly and consistently tell when an automated driving system, rather than a person, is operating the vehicle. Cyan was chosen because the auto industry already uses red, amber, white and flashing blue or red for brakes, turn signals, headlights and emergency vehicles. Cyan could fill the visual gap with less risk of confusion.
Optional for manufacturers
The lamps would be optional. But any company that adds them would have to meet federal specifications for colour, brightness and placement, which NHTSA says should prevent a confusing mix of colours and signals. The agency wants a single national standard that operators such as Waymo, Nuro and Zoox, and automakers including GM and Mercedes-Benz, could adopt. Mercedes-Benz earlier won state-level approval for turquoise lights on its Level 3 Drive Pilot cars, but has since dropped the idea in favour of a Level 2++ system.
Fewer rules tied to a human driver
NHTSA also proposes removing requirements that make little sense without a human driver: physical hazard switches, manual beam shifters and turn-signal levers inside the vehicle. It is updating the 12.8-volt testing standard so manufacturers can build around modern LED designs, and is considering dropping rules on whether high-beam lamps sit above or below low-beam lamps.
The update is part of a wider Department of Transportation effort to ease the rollout of autonomous vehicles, including cars without traditional controls such as a steering wheel and pedals.
Regulators are still enforcing existing rules, however. Last month NHTSA opened an audit query into the Tesla Cybercab to examine the data Tesla relied on when certifying it. The vehicle lacks sideview mirrors, pedals and a steering wheel, all of which FMVSS requires.
