Senator Hassan Participates in Commerce Committee Field Hearing on Future of Autonomous Vehicles

Click here for video of the Senator’s questions. 

WASHINGTON – Senator Maggie Hassan participated today in a Commerce, Science, and Transportation field hearing titled “Driving Automotive Innovation and Federal Policies” at the Washington Convention Center where she questioned witnesses from the auto industry and academia on how autonomous vehicles (AVs) can support people who experience disabilities and the importance of protecting AV consumer privacy.

Senator Hassan pointed out that she is “the mom of a 29-year-old young man with very severe disabilities, so much of what you talk about is very exciting for those of us who live in a world in which we have a family member with a disability, but it is also a reminder that people who don’t have disabilities often think they know what solutions are for people who experience disabilities.” Senator Hassan asked, “what interactions you’re having with people who might represent the disability community to really understand and drill down on what the different populations within that community will need?”

Luke Schneider, President of Audi Mobility U.S., said “this is an immensely important topic,” adding “the reality is automated vehicles hold potential for greater self-sufficiency and the ability to provide a basic level of mobility for persons with disabilities that doesn’t exist there today. And the way we think about that is really the way we think about engineering almost any system, which is to understand that costumer’s journey… and to really factor those into our engineering models.”

Senator Hassan also asked “what information will be collected on consumers who purchase AVs, what’s the industry doing to protect the data from being sold and shared without the consumers’ consent, and how easily can consumers access and change what data is collected and shared about them?”

Mike Mansuetti, President of Robert Bosch North America, said “consumer data and especially security and privacy is very important. So, we believe that first and foremost we need to protect this data and we also need to have consent to use the data. As the extent of what data will be collected and how it will be shared and how it will be used, I think that continues to develop as these business models develop. But for us, in developing the technology, it’s first and foremost how we protect this data and data security.”

Senator Hassan also raised questions about how to guard against bad actors who would like to exploit vulnerabilities in AV software; how to deal with job training for people who will be displaced by this technology; and how to ensure that this technology reaches rural areas so that everybody has the freedom and economic advantage that this technology can provide.

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