On Feb. 6, Lars Moravy, Tesla’s VP of engineering, appeared before the Ted Cruz-led Senate Commerce Committee to press for a national regulatory approach to self-driving vehicles. He opened the hearing by emphasizing that existing rules, drafted decades ago, hinder the safe deployment of advanced driver assistance and autonomous systems.

Moravy outlined a blueprint calling for a dedicated federal framework for automated vehicles, including clear definitions for Level 4 autonomy. He urged lawmakers to replace fragmented state laws with unified standards covering performance metrics, cybersecurity protocols and data reporting requirements for manufacturers.

A standardized federal framework could fast-track Tesla’s roll-out of Full Self-Driving by reducing state-by-state compliance hurdles. Uniform safety benchmarks and streamlined approval processes would support broader field testing and commercial deployment of Tesla’s advanced driver-assistance and autonomous capabilities.

The Senate Commerce Committee indicated plans to draft legislation this session to modernize the Motor Vehicle Safety Act. If enacted, the new law could empower the Department of Transportation to issue binding rules for automated driving systems, shaping the regulatory landscape for Tesla and competitors.