U.S. Sen. Dean Heller (R-NV) urged the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) last week to choose Nevada as the site of future, national dialogues on the evolving technology of autonomous vehicles.
“There is extensive involvement in autonomous vehicles from local governments, universities, and others in Nevada,” Heller said in a letter to DOT Secretary Elaine Chao. “Hosting a national dialogue in my home state would provide FHWA an opportunity to hear from industry stakeholders and local government and transit officials about how they are managing the testing and deployment of autonomous vehicles, especially in areas with a high volume of pedestrian traffic like the Las Vegas strip or around the University of Nevada, Reno (UNR) campus.”
In the letter, Heller cited his rank as a member of the U.S. Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation committee in convincing Chao to make her decision. In 2011, Nevada was the first state to pass autonomous vehicle legislation and open the door to testing. It has seen various testing since and passed legislation to implement autonomous commercial vehicles as well.
Nevada is also home to one of the forerunners of autonomous and electric vehicle technology: Tesla. Google also received its first testing license from there. Additionally, both northern and southern Nevada are currently developing and operating autonomous shuttles.
“Nevada is well prepared to contribute to the advancement of this technology that could transform safety and mobility for communities across America,” Heller said.