Insights

On April 25, 2025, the California DMV released a notice of proposed regulations focused on changes to the testing and deployment of light-duty and heavy-duty commercial autonomous vehicles. California previously released draft regulations and asked for public comment, the last round ending August 30, 2024.

On April 24, the Department of Transportation announced the Trump Administration’s new framework for the regulation of Automated Vehicles (“AVs"). According to the release, “NHTSA’s AV Framework” has three principles:

Those familiar with the supplier and buyer contracting realm will have likely heard of a “requirements contract” or a “blanket purchase order” which essentially allows parties to mutually guarantee that they will buy and sell to each other for a specific period of time, but lets the parties figure out the exact amount of a product later, often on an order-by-order basis. This approach is often favored for its reliability in knowing your supply needs are met (or you have a reliable buyer), while letting the supply move up or down based on real and variable demand. These arrangements are particularly prevalent in supply agreements in the automobile industry.