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: 8/15/16 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.
Senate Floor Amendments of 8/15/16 delete the provision
authorizing the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) to require
the submission of information regarding the testing of
autonomous vehicles pursuant to the provisions of this bill.
ANALYSIS:
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Existing law:
1)Authorizes the operation of autonomous vehicles on public
roads for testing purposes under certain circumstances
specified in regulations adopted by the DMV. Insurance of $5
million is required of the manufacturer.
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.
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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:
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.
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
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county's designated Congestion Management Agency, responsible
for putting programs in place to keep 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 accidents involved no or
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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 is the gradual deployment of
driver-assistance technology which will support, but not
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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.
8)DMV can require information. While the recent amendments
delete the specific authorization for the DMV to require
information, the general authority of the DMV to develop
regulations requiring such information is preserved in
subdivision (e) of the bill.
FISCAL EFFECT: Appropriation: No Fiscal
Com.:YesLocal: No
SUPPORT: (Verified8/15/16)
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
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San Ramon Police Department
Silicon Valley Leadership Group
Sunset Development Company
Stantec
Telecommunications Industry Association
Telegra, Inc.
OPPOSITION: (Verified8/15/16)
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
8/16/16 17:55:11
**** END ****
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