Latest news with #JonathanMorrison
Bloomberg
16-07-2025
- Automotive
- Bloomberg
Trump's Auto Safety Pick Promises Rapid Self-Driving Deployment
President Donald Trump's choice to lead the nation's top car safety regulator pledged to prioritize safety while at the same time making it easier for automakers to deploy-self driving cars. Jonathan Morrison, who was nominated by Trump on February 11 to be administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, told lawmakers in a hearing before the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation committee Wednesday that the agency he hopes to soon lead should craft self-driving rules that go beyond the current voluntary guidelines that were enacted under previous administrations.
Yahoo
16-07-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Tesla and Waymo threat? NHTSA nominee pushes for federal self-driving regulation to 'build public trust'
President Trump's nominee to run the country's top auto safety agency may bring more scrutiny to technologies like autonomous driving and robotaxis, putting pressure on companies like Tesla (TSLA) and Alphabet's (GOOG) Waymo. This comes in contrast to expectations that the administration would ease federal autonomous regulations. Trump's nominee for National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) administrator, Jonathan Morrison, previously worked as an attorney at NHTSA and testified before the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation on Wednesday as part of the nomination process. 'The state of technology has moved forward now [since prior NHTSA stint], and we need to start working on ways to build public trust,' Morrison said when asked about regulating tech like autonomous driving. Morrison added that there was a 'lack of federal leadership in the space,' and regulations that could emerge too late in the game would have a 'chilling effect' on companies looking to innovate in the space. Morrison added that he "absolutely" believed federal standards were needed when asked by Sen. Marsha Blackburn, a Tennessee Republican. In his prepared remarks, Morrison previewed an even more aggressive approach. 'NHTSA cannot sit back and wait for problems to arise with such developing technologies, but must demonstrate strong leadership,' Morrison said in his prepared testimony. 'The technical and policy challenges surrounding these new technologies must be addressed … Failure to do so will result in products that the public will not accept and the agency will not tolerate,' Morrison added. Reuters was the first to report on Morrison's prepared testimony. Tesla CEO Elon Musk's once-close relationship with President Trump indicated to investors and analysts that the federal government would take a gentle stance toward the company's autonomous and robotaxi rollout. Tesla has expanded its robotaxi testing in Austin, and Musk said the company would expand testing to the San Francisco Bay Area, but reports suggest those applications for those state permits have not been submitted. Currently, NHTSA is investigating certain issues where Tesla robotaxis violated local traffic laws in Austin, and regulators added that its investigation into Tesla's Full Self-Driving (FSD)-Supervised/Beta software remains open. It isn't just Tesla that would be affected by more NHTSA scrutiny. Waymo, the leader in the space, has been expanding robotaxi deployments in the US, and Uber (UBER) is as well with its technology partners. Tesla, for its part, has not revealed its next steps or when the general public will be allowed to summon a robotaxi in Austin. Musk has said he expects 'millions' of robotaxis to be driving around by the second half of 2026, but the CEO has a history of making highly speculative predictions that have not come to fruition. A more vigilant NHTSA may hamper Tesla's efforts to roll out FSD and robotaxi services, though the pursuit of national standards may actually help Tesla navigate the various state and local regulations that may be preempted if NHTSA puts forth federal guidelines. Pras Subramanian is the lead auto reporter for Yahoo Finance. You can follow him on X and on Instagram.
Reuters
15-07-2025
- Automotive
- Reuters
US auto safety nominee calls for active oversight of self-driving cars
WASHINGTON, July 15 (Reuters) - President Donald Trump's nominee to head the nation's auto safety regulator will argue on Wednesday that the agency must actively oversee self-driving vehicle technology, a potential sign of a tougher approach than some critics expected. Jonathan Morrison, chief counsel of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in the first Trump administration, will testify to the U.S. Senate that autonomous vehicles offer potential benefits but also unique risks. "NHTSA cannot sit back and wait for problems to arise with such developing technologies, but must demonstrate strong leadership," Morrison said in written testimony seen by Reuters. The comments suggested NHTSA will continue to closely scrutinize self-driving vehicles. Some critics of the technology had expressed alarm over NHTSA staff cuts this year under a cost-cutting campaign led by Elon Musk, who was a close adviser to Trump and is CEO of self-driving automaker Tesla (TSLA.O), opens new tab. The Musk-Trump alliance prompted some critics to speculate that NHTSA would go easy on self-driving vehicle developers. But the relationship began to unravel in late May over Trump's spending plans, and the two are now locked in a feud. NHTSA said last month it was seeking information from Tesla about social media videos of robotaxis and self-driving cars Tesla was testing in Austin, Texas. The videos were alleged to show one of the vehicles using the wrong lane and another speeding. Since October, NHTSA has been investigating 2.4 million Tesla vehicles with full self-driving technology after four reported collisions, including a 2023 fatal crash. "The technical and policy challenges surrounding these new technologies must be addressed," Morrison's testimony said. "Failure to do so will result in products that the public will not accept and the agency will not tolerate." Other companies in the self-driving sector also were subjects of NHTSA investigations including Alphabet's (GOOGL.O), opens new tab Waymo, which last year faced reports its robotaxis may have broken traffic laws. Waymo in May recalled 1,200 self-driving vehicles, and the probe remains open. Regulatory scrutiny increased after 2023 when a pedestrian was seriously injured by a GM (GM.N), opens new tab Cruise self-driving car. The first recorded death of a pedestrian related to self-driving technology was in 2018 in Tempe, Arizona.
Evening Standard
26-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Evening Standard
Lord Foster's design chosen as Queen Elizabeth II memorial - what the papers say
'Although most famous for his glass skyscrapers like the Gherkin, Lord Foster has a history of creating wonderful places too,' writes Jonathan Morrison. 'He once told me one of the projects he was most proud of was taking the traffic-plagued roundabout of Trafalgar Square and turning it into a European piazza. Here he has returned to form, giving the memorial both a traditional aspect — setting an equestrian statue among quintessentially English flowerbeds, accessed across a slender 'unity' bridge — and making room for a modern twist. Quite literally, in the form of Yinka Shonibare's wind sculpture.'
