BILL ANALYSIS Ó
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|SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | AB 1592|
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THIRD READING
Bill No: AB 1592
Author: Bonilla (D), et al.
Amended: 8/2/16 in Senate
Vote: 21
SENATE TRANS. & HOUSING COMMITTEE: 10-0, 6/14/16
AYES: Beall, Cannella, Allen, Bates, Gaines, Galgiani, Leyva,
McGuire, Mendoza, Roth
NO VOTE RECORDED: Wieckowski
SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE: Senate Rule 28.8
ASSEMBLY FLOOR: 75-0, 4/7/16 - See last page for vote
SUBJECT: Autonomous vehicles: pilot project
SOURCE: Contra Costa Transportation Authority
DIGEST: This bill authorizes the Contra Costa Transportation
Authority (CCTA) to conduct a pilot project for the testing of
autonomous vehicles under specified conditions.
ANALYSIS:
Existing law:
1)Authorizes the operation of autonomous vehicles on public
roads for testing purposes under certain circumstances
specified in regulations adopted by the Department of Motor
Vehicles (DMV). Insurance of $5 million is required of the
manufacturer.
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2)Requires DMV, by January 1, 2015, to adopt regulations setting
forth requirements for the application to operate autonomous
vehicles on public roads for non-testing purposes.
3)Requires the application submitted to DMV for the operation of
autonomous vehicles on public roads for non-testing purposes
to include a certification from the manufacturer that the
vehicle allows the operator to take control through the use of
the brake, the accelerator pedal, or the steering wheel.
4)Requires DMV to approve an application submitted by a
manufacturer for the operation of autonomous vehicles for
non-testing purposes if DMV finds that the applicant has
submitted all information and completed testing necessary to
satisfy DMV that the autonomous vehicles are safe to operate
on public roads and the applicant has complied with all
requirements specified in DMV regulations.
5)Authorizes DMV to impose additional requirements it deems
necessary to ensure the safe operation of autonomous vehicles
if those vehicles are capable of operating without the
presence of a driver inside the vehicle, including the
presence of a driver in the driver's seat of the vehicle, if
DMV determines that such a requirement is necessary to ensure
the safe operation of those vehicles on public roads.
6)Requires DMV to notify the Legislature of the receipt and
approval of an application from a manufacturer seeking to
operate autonomous vehicles capable of operating without the
presence of a driver inside the vehicle on public roads for
non-testing purposes.
This bill authorizes the Contra Costa Transportation Authority
(CCTA) to conduct a pilot project for the testing of autonomous
vehicles that do not have an operator and are not equipped with
a steering wheel, brake pedal, or an accelerator, provided that:
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1)The vehicle operates at less than 35 miles per hour.
2)The testing is conducted only at a privately owned business
park designated by CCTA or at the GoMentum Station located
within the boundaries of the former Concord Naval Weapons
Station.
3)The CCTA, one of the testing manufacturers, or both, obtains
$5 million in insurance.
4)The operator of the autonomous vehicle technology shall
disclose to an individual participating in the pilot project
what personal information, if any, concerning the participant
is collected by the vehicle. The DMV may require data
collection for evaluating vehicle safety.
Comments
1) Purpose. The author has observed that autonomous vehicle
technologies are evolving at a rapid pace and states that it
is critical that California supports further development of
such technologies to improve mobility, increase road safety,
reduce parking and traffic congestion, meet our state's
climate change goals, and keep jobs and technology
innovation in California. As a state, we cannot allow auto
manufacturers, software companies, engineers, and scientists
- and the jobs, technology, and innovation they bring - to
leave our state. Currently, other states such as Michigan,
Texas, Arizona, and Nevada are attracting the business and
innovation as a result of state investment and more
favorable regulations pertaining to autonomous vehicles. It
is imperative that we remove barriers to the testing and
development of autonomous vehicles, according to the author.
2) Who and where? The CCTA is a public agency responsible
for maintaining and improving Contra Costa County's
transportation system by planning, funding, and delivering
transportation infrastructure projects and programs. CCTA
is also the county's designated Congestion Management
Agency, responsible for putting programs in place to keep
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traffic levels manageable. This bill authorizes CCTA to
conduct an autonomous vehicle pilot program in two places.
The first is at Bishop Ranch in San Ramon, a large business
park which is crossed and bordered by several major streets.
Bishop Ranch houses major corporate tenants such as AT&T,
GE, and Toyota. It is bordered by shopping centers and a
middle school. The second location is known as the GoMentum
Station, a 2,100-acre test bed located within the footprint
of the former Concord Naval Weapons Station, with over 20
miles of paved road. The GoMentum Station is a secured test
site inaccessible to the public. That will change as the
property is turned over to the City of Concord, which could
subsequently open the property to the public and authorize
development.
3) Waiting. The DMV's autonomous vehicle testing program
regulations were adopted May 19, 2014, and are effective
now. Those regulations, consistent with existing law, do
not permit the testing of autonomous vehicles without a
driver or driving controls. The DMV's regulations for
autonomous vehicles for non-testing purposes are long
overdue and not expected soon. Draft regulations, which
were published in December 2015, required autonomous
vehicles, for non-testing purposes, to also have a driver
and driving controls. This provision was criticized by many
autonomous vehicle manufacturers.
Meanwhile, the federal government is also developing
autonomous vehicle rules and policies. In January, the
National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
said it would propose best-practice guidance to the auto
industry on establishing principles of safe operation for
fully autonomous vehicles. NHTSA is also working with the
American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators to
develop model state autonomous vehicle policies by July.
California's DMV is chairing this working group.
4) What's the record? Autonomous vehicles have been
permitted for testing on California roads since 2014,
accumulating over 400,000 miles of travel. Since then, 15
accidents have been reported, five of which occurred when
the vehicles were operated manually. Most of these
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accidents involved no or very minor damage and injury. The
DMV also requires reporting on the instances when the
autonomous driving function is disabled, either because of a
technology failure or when the driver disables the function
for safety reasons. Google, which has tested autonomous
vehicles on California roads far more than anyone else,
reported 341 instances of disengagement since 2014. This is
a small number given the number of miles traveled, but not
insignificant, as the pilot program authorized by this bill
will not have a driver to take over the vehicle.
Unlike the GoMentum Station, which is, for now, a
closed-to-the-public testing facility, Bishop Ranch is a
bustling, heavily-trafficked business park located in the
city of San Ramon. Currently, CCTA is planning on deploying
EasyMile driverless shuttles, low-speed electric vehicles
with a 12-passenger capacity. These vehicles have been used
in a number of campus-like environments in Europe since late
2014. Concerns about the use of unmanned autonomous
vehicles in this location are mitigated by the support of
the San Ramon Police Department for the bill.
5) Another California industry. Development of autonomous
vehicles has been good for California and its companies.
Google, Tesla and, perhaps, Apple are leaders in
self-driving technology. And much of the sensor, control,
and mapping technology has links to the Silicon Valley.
With the potential addition of electric car company Faraday
Future in Vallejo, the car industry is rebuilding its
presence in California.
6) Can I get it tomorrow? Many boldly predict that fully
autonomous vehicles will be on the road soon: GM predicts
by 2020, as do Ford and Toyota; in 2012, Google predicted it
would have a driverless car on the market by 2018. Uber
says that its fleet will be driverless by 2030. These
timeframes will be greatly impacted by the pace of
regulatory accommodation. As an example, federal motor
vehicle safety standards require all vehicles to have
steering wheels, brakes, and other controls. These
standards will need to be revised if controlless vehicles
are to be generally available to the public. More certain
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is the gradual deployment of driver assistance technology
which will support, but not supplant, the driver, such as
adaptive cruise control, lane keeper assistance, and
vehicle-to-vehicle communication.
7) More to learn. In addition to the technical and
regulatory hurdles, autonomous vehicles will have enormous
societal impacts, particularly with regard to labor markets,
which will affect the speed of its acceptance. Surveys show
the general public does not yet trust autonomous vehicles.
And the effect of autonomous vehicles on congestion and
greenhouse gas emissions are potentially positive, but not
well understood.
FISCAL EFFECT: Appropriation: No Fiscal
Com.:YesLocal: No
SUPPORT: (Verified8/3/16)
Contra Costa Transportation Authority (source)
Alliance for Transportation Innovation
Allstate Insurance Company
American Council of Engineering Companies California
Bay Area Council
Bay Area Rapid Transit District
California Department of Insurance
Central Contra Costa Transit Authority
City of Clayton
City of Concord
City of San Ramon
City of Walnut Creek
Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors
EasyMile
Honda
Intelligent Transportation Systems California
League of California Cities
Metropolitan Transportation Commission
Personal Insurance Federation of California
San Ramon Police Department
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Silicon Valley Leadership Group
Sunset Development Company
Stantec
Telecommunications Industry Association
Telegra, Inc.
OPPOSITION: (Verified8/3/16)
Amalgated Transit Union
California Chamber of Commerce
California Manufacturers and Technology Association
California Teamsters Public Affairs Council
CompTIA
CTIA
DMA
Information Technology Industry
Internet Association
TechNet
ASSEMBLY FLOOR: 75-0, 4/7/16
AYES: Achadjian, Alejo, Travis Allen, Atkins, Baker, Bigelow,
Bloom, Bonilla, Bonta, Brown, Burke, Calderon, Chang, Chau,
Chávez, Chiu, Chu, Cooley, Cooper, Dababneh, Dahle, Daly,
Dodd, Eggman, Frazier, Beth Gaines, Gallagher, Cristina
Garcia, Eduardo Garcia, Gatto, Gipson, Gomez, Gonzalez,
Gordon, Gray, Grove, Hadley, Harper, Roger Hernández, Holden,
Irwin, Jones, Jones-Sawyer, Kim, Lackey, Linder, Lopez, Low,
Maienschein, Mathis, Mayes, McCarty, Medina, Melendez, Mullin,
Nazarian, Obernolte, O'Donnell, Olsen, Patterson, Quirk,
Ridley-Thomas, Rodriguez, Salas, Santiago, Steinorth, Mark
Stone, Thurmond, Ting, Wagner, Weber, Wilk, Williams, Wood,
Rendon
NO VOTE RECORDED: Brough, Campos, Levine, Waldron
Prepared by:Randy Chinn / T. & H. / (916) 651-4121
8/3/16 18:45:40
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