Gov’t Takes Side-Step to Open Doors to Self-Driving Cars
Our thematic investing approach at Tematica Research includes exploring the intersection of shifting economics, demographics, psychographics, technologies, mixed with regulatory mandates and other forces. Truth be told, when it comes to regulatory mandates, more often than not we’re looking at how the government is getting in the way of innovation or pushing mandates that will force a business to shift its practices to comply.
That’s why when we saw the U.S. House take action around the issue of Self-Driving vehicles it caught our attention:
U.S. House lawmakers passed a wide-ranging bill to speed the introduction of self-driving vehicles championed by tech and auto companies racing to develop and deploy the technology.”With this legislation, innovation can flourish without the heavy hand of government,” Ohio Republican Bob Latta said on the House floor ahead of the voice vote in the chamber Wednesday. Latta is chairman of the House Energy and Commerce subcommittee that developed the legislation.The action now moves to the Senate, where Republican John Thune of South Dakota and Democrats Bill Nelson of Florida and Gary Peters of Michigan are leading work on legislation of their own. The trio serve on the Senate commerce committee, which on Wednesday announced a Sept. 13 hearing to examine autonomous commercial vehicles and how they may fit into the Senate’s self-driving vehicle legislation. The House bill only applies to passenger cars and light trucks.
Source: House Passes Bill to Speed Introduction of Self-Driving Cars – Bloomberg
As we’ve explored in a recent episode of our Cocktail Investing podcast (click here to listen) the drive to fully autonomous cars will be an evolutionary path, not revolutionary. But one thing seems clear, at this moment in time, it appears the U.S. Government isn’t looking to stand in the way for the rollout of this Disruptive Technology. Of course, things could change, especially when it comes to the regulatory mandates.
