Elon Musk is lobbying lawmakers on driverless vehicle rules

Elon Musk may have stepped away from his duties as the lead of the Department of Government Efficiency and adviser to President Trump, but he’s still active in D.C. circles. This time, he’s on the other side, lobbying lawmakers on legislation related to autonomous vehicles, according to a report by Bloomberg that cited unnamed sources.

Musk and others in his orbit have been calling members of Congress directly, according to Bloomberg. His efforts appear to be directed at a bill introduced May 15 called the Autonomous Vehicle Acceleration Act.

Musk has bet much of Tesla’s future on AI, robotics, and autonomous vehicles. He has frequently tied the company’s value to its investment and eventual commercialization of autonomous vehicles. And next month, Tesla is expected to launch a small and geofenced robotaxi service in Austin, Texas. Tesla also wants to eventually roll out autonomous vehicles — branded Cybercabs — that don’t have a steering wheel or pedals. But today there are not clear federal rules or standards to allow such a vehicle to operate at scale.