Imported self-driving shuttles have an edge over their U.S. rivals

Two of Local Motors' competitors -- EasyMile and Navya -- import their vehicles from France and are able to get exemptions for R&D purposes. Local Motors is petitioning the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, complaining that "smaller, innovative American vehicle manufacturers" like themselves are at a disadvantage, hindering competitiveness and endangering American leadership in autonomy and new technology development. "American companies creating American jobs building American cars have a higher bar to get vehicles on the road for purposes of research and testing than foreign companies importing vehicles," David Woessner, head of regulatory affairs for Local Motors, tells Axios. "The technology is moving faster than the regulatory environment can keep up with," adds Randell Iwasaki, executive director of Contra Costa Transportation Authority, which is trying to deploy both U.S. and foreign-made shuttles on public roads. Two of Local Motors' competitors -- EasyMile and Navya -- import their vehicles from France and are able to get exemptions for R&D purposes.