Photo: Ford
The automotive industry is closing in on an outstanding milestone, which could change cars forever.
Michigan legislators have scheduled a vote on a bill that would allow self-driving cars to be tested on public roads without any humans inside.
This is a significant milestone if the legislation will be voted in the Senate’s Economic Development and International Investment Committee, which is holding a public hearing on the bills that have the potential of allowing driverless cars on the state’s public road network.
As Detroit News notes, the seven-member committee is confident on a favorable outcome regarding this bill, which could be sent to the Senate floor for a vote as early as next Tuesday. Once approved there, they would need a favorable vote from the House, and then the bill would land on Governor Rick Snyder’s office.
Snyder has an agreeable opinion on the subject, so driverless cars could get an “all clear” for testing on public roads in the state if everything goes well.
Representatives of companies like Ford, General Motors, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, and Toyota Motor Company are expected to testify on Wednesday in front of the committee.
According to Senator Mike Kowall, R-White Lake Township, who introduced the legislation, Google, Lyft, and Uber are also expected to send representatives or written testimonies regarding self-driving vehicles.
All of the companies mentioned above have already announced interest in driverless cars. The bill refers to fully autonomous vehicle tests allowed on public roads, which would mean that vehicles without a human inside would be permitted to drive with the rest of the citizens without other special requests.
Michigan wants to be on the forefront of the automotive industry, and the field of autonomous car development is set to bring billions of dollars for research and development.
If it all happens in the state, locals will benefit from the presence of well-funded corporations that will deliver money in the economy instead of taking it somewhere else. The same state passed a law in 2013 that allowed testing autonomous vehicles on state roads starting in March 2014.
This is a significant milestone if the legislation will be voted in the Senate’s Economic Development and International Investment Committee, which is holding a public hearing on the bills that have the potential of allowing driverless cars on the state’s public road network.
As Detroit News notes, the seven-member committee is confident on a favorable outcome regarding this bill, which could be sent to the Senate floor for a vote as early as next Tuesday. Once approved there, they would need a favorable vote from the House, and then the bill would land on Governor Rick Snyder’s office.
Snyder has an agreeable opinion on the subject, so driverless cars could get an “all clear” for testing on public roads in the state if everything goes well.
Representatives of companies like Ford, General Motors, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, and Toyota Motor Company are expected to testify on Wednesday in front of the committee.
According to Senator Mike Kowall, R-White Lake Township, who introduced the legislation, Google, Lyft, and Uber are also expected to send representatives or written testimonies regarding self-driving vehicles.
All of the companies mentioned above have already announced interest in driverless cars. The bill refers to fully autonomous vehicle tests allowed on public roads, which would mean that vehicles without a human inside would be permitted to drive with the rest of the citizens without other special requests.
Michigan wants to be on the forefront of the automotive industry, and the field of autonomous car development is set to bring billions of dollars for research and development.
If it all happens in the state, locals will benefit from the presence of well-funded corporations that will deliver money in the economy instead of taking it somewhere else. The same state passed a law in 2013 that allowed testing autonomous vehicles on state roads starting in March 2014.
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