Senators grill Waymo and Tesla on robotics safety, liability and China

During a two-hour hearing in the US Senate on Wednesday, top executives from Waymo and Tesla urged lawmakers to take action. Legislation has been stalled for a long time To accelerate the deployment of self-driving cars on public roads. But after two hours of questions and answers on a number of hot topics, including robotaxi safety, legal liability, remote operation, and China, it was clear that lawmakers were no closer to passing any bill related to self-driving vehicles.

Waymo has faced questions about… Its decision to use a Chinese-made car For its next generation of automated taxis, in addition to the many accidents its vehicles have been exposed to Failed to stop behind a school bus While taking students. Tesla was asked about its decision Remove radar from its vehiclesIts position on binding arbitration, and its misleading marketing about its independent features. Officials from both companies were asked whether they believe the United States is at risk of being overtaken by China in the absence of a national framework regulating autonomous vehicles. Naturally, they agreed.

“For America to be a leader in autonomous vehicle technology, we must modernize regulations that inhibit the industry’s ability to innovate,” Lars Moravy, Tesla’s vice president of vehicle engineering, said during his opening remarks. “Federal vehicle regulations have not kept pace with the rapid pace of technology development. Many standards were implemented decades ago and do not adequately address recent advances, such as electric drive trains, automated driving systems, and over-the-air software updates. We need American leadership on autonomous vehicle rules and regulations.”

But whether Congress will finally be able to pass legislation to regulate self-driving vehicles remains uncertain. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), who chairs the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee Supervised today’s hearingHe said he believes this could be done as part of the Surface Transportation Reauthorization Act, which covers federal funding for highway, transit and safety programs.

Given the nature of the questions during the hearing, lawmakers remain divided on the potential benefits of self-driving cars — and the companies that operate them.

“Safety” was the watchword at the hearing. Representatives for Waymo and Tesla said this is their guiding principle. Many senators agreed that roads would be safer with more self-driving vehicles on the road.

But both companies have been questioned over specific safety lapses related to their vehicles. Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA) said any federal legislation would need to address Tesla’s deceptive marketing practices.

“Tesla was allowed to market its technology, which it knew needed human supervision, as Autopilot because there were no federal guardrails,” she said.

Whether the federal government is up to the task is an open question, Cantwell added, noting that under Elon Musk, The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration lost 25 percent of its staffleaving the automation office at one point with just four employees. This has resulted in less enforcement: NHTSA noted that it initiated significantly fewer recall investigations in 2025 than in previous years.

“Are we going to continue to let people die in the United States?” Cantwell asked. “Without strong federal oversight, it is no wonder states are seeking to fill the void.”

Meanwhile, Waymo failed to stop during school bus operations in Austin, Texas, and a recent accident involving A A child was hit by a robo-taxi at low speed in Santa Monica, Californiacame during the hearing.

Mauricio Peña, Waymo’s chief safety officer, said the company is collecting data across different lighting patterns and conditions, and incorporating those lessons into its system, to help prevent these accidents from happening again. He noted that Waymo safely navigates thousands of school buses every week without any accidents. But what Peña didn’t mention is that Waymo vehicles have been recorded illegally passing parked school buses even after a software update was released intended to address the problem.

Liability and arbitration

The issue of binding arbitration was also raised during the session, where companies force customers to resolve disputes in courts that favor the company. Cantwell said she would not support legislation that would prevent injured parties from suing robotaxi companies.

She was joined from across the aisle by Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio), who expressed concern about driverless car companies relying on lengthy terms and conditions or arbitration clauses to limit accountability. He pressed Waymo’s Peña on the issue, who deflected by clarifying that this was not his area of ​​expertise.

Moreno also pressed witnesses about legal liability when a self-driving car collides. Both Peña and Moravy said their companies would accept liability in incidents where the technology was at fault.

Bryant Walker Smith, a professor at the University of South Carolina’s law and engineering schools who specializes in emerging transportation technologies, was also on the witness panel. NHTSA has historically played a role in changing industry culture by confronting companies that continue to promote flawed technologies, such as defective airbags, and forcing a cultural shift, he said.

The threat posed by China came up several times during the hearing, with Jeff Farah, CEO of the Autonomous Vehicle Industry Association, warning lawmakers that China could become the “global leader” in autonomous vehicles without action from Congress.

China became a sticking point for Waymo, too, when Moreno questioned Peña about the Alphabet-owned company’s decision to use a Chinese-made vehicle for its next-generation robotaxi platform. Current US law prohibits the import of any vehicle equipped with self-driving or connectivity software originating from China. But Peña explained that Geely cars are stripped of all their software before arriving in the United States. Waymo installs all autonomous software itself, and there is no data sharing with anyone outside the United States.

But Moreno seemed unconvinced.

“So giving a natural market to a Chinese company to ship cars to us makes us better and creates more jobs for Americans?” The senator said. “This is absolutely ridiculous.”

Remote operators and design field

Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) raised the issue of remote operators, who can sometimes help robots navigate difficult situations. Markey pressed Peña about the location of Waymo’s operators, and Peña responded that while some are based in the United States, others are located overseas, specifically in the Philippines. Peña was unable to provide a breakdown percentage, which Markey criticized as troubling given the safety-critical nature of the role.

Markey also raised concerns about latency, cybersecurity vulnerabilities, and the broader implications of shipping remaining human jobs offshore as local drivers are replaced by automation. He described the idea of ​​”transatlantic backseat drivers” as dangerous and unacceptable.

He also criticized Tesla for failing to place geographic restrictions on Autopilot and Full Self-Driving features, arguing that the company is failing to follow the best practices of every other autonomous vehicle company.

“Tesla is putting American lives at risk,” Markey said angrily. “This is unconscionable.”