The Governor’s Steering Committee on Autonomous and Connected Vehicle Testing and Deployment met at the Capitol on Jan. 17. Created under Executive Order 245, the Committee continues to collect a variety of information on autonomous vehicles that will inform a final report due to the governor by June 30, 2018.

Presenting first to the committee members was George Ivanov from Waymo. Ivanov walked through Waymo’s Safety Report, which was released in 2017. The Safety Report details Waymo’s Safety Program, systems, and testing and validation methods. Waymo’s focus is on level four vehicles, or those with high automation. Ivanov discussed Waymo’s testing procedures and mentioned that Waymo currently tests in Arizona, California, and Michigan.

Following the first presentation was Carla Jacobs from Uber Technologies. Jacobs discussed the Uber Driverless Vehicle Experiment in Pittsburg. Jacobs explained that the experiment in Pittsburg was limited to a pre-selected group of customers, and each vehicle included a human driver. Concluding the meeting was Scott Hoselton from ACS, a Wisconsin-based company. Hoselton shared with the committee options for engine and vehicle testing. Hoselton explained ACS’s involvement in the past on emissions standards and the role they can provide for discussions on autonomous vehicle testing standards.

The committee finished the meeting with a discussion on the intersection of electric vehicle technology and autonomous vehicle technology. One committee member explained that although both technologies are growing, the two are not correlated.

The committee plans to reconvene in February.

Autonomous Vehicle Committee November Meeting