Tesla on rally with hypothesis of autonomous driving deregulation

New sprint for actions Teslawho once again benefit from founder Elon Musk’s closeness to President-elect Donald Trump, continuing their post-US election rally: yesterday they closed up 5.6%, reaching a +35% from November 5ththe day of the presidential elections which allowed Donald Trump to return to the White House. Meanwhile, the valuation of the company founded by Elon Musk has firmly surpassed the 1 trillion dollar mark.

The indiscretion

What pushed the purchases on the stock in the last few hours was an indiscretion from Bloomberg, according to which members of President-elect Trump’s transition team told advisors that they intend make a federal framework for self-driving vehicles a priority of the Department of Transportation.

If the new rules allow a wider use of cars without human controlshe will get from it directly benefit Elon Muskthe Tesla CEO who was one of Trump’s biggest supporters during the campaign and who has become an important figure in the president-elect’s inner circle.

Trump’s team is trying to equip the department with leaders who will develop a framework for regulating self-driving vehicles, according to people familiar with the matter. The work is at an early stage and details of the policy are yet to be finalised, the article said.

The context

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration currently allows manufacturers to distribute 2,500 self-driving vehicles per year under an exemption granted. It also has a number of ongoing safety investigations into both autonomous vehicles and driver-assist systems, including features that Tesla markets as Autopilot and Full Self-Driving.

The news comes just days after Trump named Musk as co-chief of the Department for Government Efficiency of the incoming administration.

Last month, Musk had instead criticized the State-by-state approval processnecessary for self-driving vehicles, calling it “incredibly painful,” just weeks after introducing a two-seater “Cybercab” robotaxi without a steering wheel and pedals, which will go into production in 2026.

The nomination

Meanwhile, Trump has said he wants to nominate Sean Duffyformer Wisconsin representative and Fox Business News host, as Secretary of Transportation. “I look forward to helping you usher in a new golden age of transportation,” Duffy wrote on social media.

If confirmed, Reuters writes, Duffy will oversee aviation, automotive, rail, transit and other transportation policies at the department with a budget of approximately $110 billionas well as significant funding remaining under the Biden administration’s $1 trillion 2021 infrastructure and EV charging station bill.

Trump promised to overturn the rules on emissions of Biden administration vehicles, and Duffy will also be responsible for overseeing companies run by Elon Musk.