The U.S. Department of Transportation announced nine companies and eight states that have signed on as the first participants in a new department initiative to improve the safety and testing transparency of automated driving systems, the Automated Vehicle Transparency and Engagement for Safe Testing (AV TEST) Initiative.  The participating companies are Beep, Cruise, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, Local Motors, Navya, Nuro, Toyota, Uber, and Waymo. The states are California, Florida, Maryland, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Utah.

“Through this initiative, the department is creating a formal platform for federal, state, and local government to coordinate and share information in a standard way,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine L. Chao.

The AV TEST Initiative will include a series of public events across the country to improve transparency and safety in the development and testing of automated driving systems.

Participants can share information about their activities, which will help increase the public’s awareness of testing, centralize the department’s role in promoting safety and innovation, and build stronger relationships among Federal, State, and local governments and stakeholders.  

Additionally, this voluntary initiative will provide an online, public-facing platform for sharing automated driving systems testing activities and other safety-related information with the public. Online mapping tools may show testing locations at the local, state, and national levels, as well as testing activity data, which may include dates, frequency, vehicle counts, and routes.