‘A full circle moment’
Aurora director Melissa Wade to lead national autonomous vehicle group
An Aurora employee will lead the nation’s largest autonomous vehicle trade group, expanding Pittsburgh’s influence on how driverless tech rolls onto America’s streets.
The appointment of Melissa Wade, Aurora’s senior director of government relations, as board chair of the Autonomous Vehicle Industry Association comes as the AV sector faces yet another reckoning over safety following Cruise’s crash and suspension last year and the recall of nearly all of Tesla’s cars sold in the U.S.
It also comes at the start of the year Aurora plans to pull the backup human drivers fromits truck routes in Texas.
“Serving as board chair feels like a full circle moment after nearly a decade working on autonomous vehicle policy,” Ms. Wade said in a statement. “I’m honored to have the support of AVIA’s members, and I look forward to sharing the benefits of autonomous vehicles with new audiences as we advocate for safer roads and a stronger supply chain.”
Strip District-based Aurora already had an outsized role in AV regulation, with Chief Executive Chris Urmson pushing for legislation in Pennsylvania and Washington, D.C., that allows autonomous makers to test on public streets. AVIA actively promotes the technology’s safety and economic benefits to lawmakers and the public. Aurora was one of its first truck members.
“Melissa is a widely respected leader in the autonomous vehicle industry and brings incredible enthusiasm for AVs and the many benefits they will bring,” AVIA’s chief executive, Jeff Farrah, said in the announcement.
Before joining Aurora in 2019, Ms. Wade worked five years for the U.S. House of Representatives as counsel and chief counsel of the Energy and Commerce Committee, which introduced her to many of the same “policy roadblocks” that she said persist today.
“There’s still a lot of discussions to be had,” she said in an interview. “I think the key goal is to continue to educate and push for a clearer federal framework.”
Two of the largest trucking groups in the country are at odds over AV adoption, including safety guardrails like speed limiters and automatic emergencybraking that could help address a sharp rise in deaths from truck crashes — up48% in a decade.
The American Trucking Associations supports the idea of a federal framework for AVs and told Congress in September the technology would enhance highway safety while supporting trucking’ s essential workforce.
Months prior, the OwnerOperator Independent Drivers Association wrote to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration with a different message, saying AVs create “new risks with dangerous outcomes.”
Ms. Wade said she looks forward to bringing AVIA’s members, which include Cruise, UPS and Ford, to Pittsburgh. Her vice president at AVIA is a representative from Motional, the only AV maker currently testing on Pittsburgh’s streets, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Last Friday, Aurora finalized design plans with its German partner Continental that will allow both companies to begin mass production of driverless trucks in 2027. The companies are currently showcasing their partnership at the Consumer Electronics Showin Las Vegas.