Florida has moved to legalise self-driving cars – good news for Tekcapital PLC’s (LON:TEK) portfolio company, Guident, which has hailed the “visionary” decision.
Based on technology licensed from a Florida university, Guident is developing software to improve the safety and utility of autonomous vehicles (AVs).
READ: Guident files for new patent for self-driving car tech
That leaves it well-placed to benefit from the bill passed by Florida’s state legislature on Wednesday making it legal to operate AVs all over the Sunshine state. All the bill needs now is governor Ron DeSantis’ signature for it to officially go into law.
As well as being able to drive their own driverless cars, people will also be able to hail them once ride-share apps such as Uber start to roll them out.
“Guident welcomes this visionary decision,” said Guident chairman Harald Braun.
“With this bill, Florida has made a tremendous step forward in enabling the market for autonomous vehicles and their control using mobile devices. This is consistent with the mission of Guident and its intellectual property.”
He added: “One of the main criteria for market success of AVs…is governments' willingness to regulate and support AV development.
"The bill clearly shows a commitment by the state of Florida to the AV vehicle and mobility market, and the opportunities it provides for on-demand services.”