[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 186 (Monday, September 29, 2025)]
[Notices]
[Pages 46736-46737]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2025-18812]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
[Docket No. NHTSA-2024-0067]
HOLON--Receipt of Application for Temporary Exemption From
Various Requirements of the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards for
an Automated Driving System-Equipped Vehicle; Reopening of Comment
Period
AGENCY: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA),
Department of Transportation (DOT).
ACTION: Reopening of comment period.
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SUMMARY: NHTSA published a request for public comment on November 8,
2024, announcing receipt of and seeking comment on an application for
temporary exemption from HOLON U.S. Inc (HOLON). HOLON's application
seeks a temporary exemption from various requirements of the Federal
motor vehicle safety standards (FMVSS) for a vehicle equipped with an
automated driving system (ADS).
DATES: The comment period for the Part 555 receipt notice published on
November 8, 2024 will be open until October 29, 2025.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments to the docket number identified in
the heading of this document by any of the following methods:
Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the online instructions for submitting
comments.
Mail: Docket Management Facility, M-30, U.S. Department of
Transportation, West Building, Ground Floor, Rm. W12-140, 1200 New
Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20590.
Hand Delivery or Courier: West Building, Ground Floor,
Room W12-140, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.
Eastern Time, Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays. To be
sure someone is there to help you, please call (202) 366-9332 before
coming.
Fax: 202-493-2251.
Instructions: All submissions must include the agency name and
docket number. Note that all comments received will be posted without
change to https://www.regulations.gov, including any personal
information provided. Please see the Privacy Act discussion below.
NHTSA will consider all comments received before the close of business
on the comment closing date indicated above. To the extent possible,
NHTSA will also consider comments filed after the closing date.
Docket: For access to the docket to read background documents or
comments received, go to https://www.regulations.gov at any time or to
1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, West Building Ground Floor, Room W12-140,
Washington, DC 20590, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday,
except Federal Holidays. Telephone: 202-366-9826.
Privacy Act: In accordance with 5 U.S.C. 553(c), DOT solicits
comments from the public to inform its rulemaking process. DOT posts
these comments, without edit, to www.regulations.gov, as described in
the system of records notice, DOT/ALL-14 FDMS, accessible through
www.dot.gov/privacy. In order to facilitate comment tracking and
response, we encourage commenters to provide their name, or the name of
their organization; however, submission of names is completely
optional. Whether or not commenters identify themselves, all timely
comments will be fully considered. If you wish to provide comments
containing proprietary or confidential information, please contact the
agency for alternate submission instructions.
Confidential Business Information: If you wish to submit any
information under a claim of confidentiality, you must submit your
request directly to NHTSA's Office of the Chief Counsel. Requests for
confidentiality are governed by Part 512. NHTSA is currently treating
electronic submission as an acceptable method for submitting
confidential business information to the agency under Part 512. If you
would like to submit a request for confidential treatment, you may
email your submission to Dan Rabinovitz in the Office of the Chief
Counsel at [email protected] or you may contact Dan for a
secure file transfer link. At this time, you should not send a
duplicate hardcopy of your electronic CBI submissions to DOT
headquarters. If you claim that any of the information or documents
provided to the agency constitute confidential business information
within the meaning of 5 U.S.C. 552(b)(4), or are protected from
disclosure pursuant to 18 U.S.C. 1905, you must submit supporting
information together with the materials that are the subject of the
confidentiality request, in accordance with Part 512, to the Office of
the Chief Counsel. Your request must include a cover letter setting
forth the information specified in our confidential business
information regulation (49 CFR 512.8) and a certificate, pursuant to
Sec. 512.4(b) and Part 512, appendix A. In addition, you should submit
a copy, from which you have deleted the claimed confidential business
information, to the Docket at the address given above.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For legal issues: Callie Roach, Office
of the Chief Counsel at [email protected]. For technical issues:
Emily Shull, Rulemaking Office of Automation Safety at
[email protected], Telephone: (202) 366-4276; Fax: (202) 366-7002.
Mailing address: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 1200
New Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20590.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On November 8, 2024, in accordance with
statutory and administrative provisions, NHTSA published a notice (89
FR 88856) announcing receipt of an application from HOLON seeking
exemption under 49 U.S.C. 30113 (implemented at 49 CFR part 555) from
portions of seven FMVSS. HOLON's application sought exemption from
portions of FMVSS No. 101, Controls and displays; FMVSS No. 102,
Transmission shift position sequence, starter interlock, and
transmission braking effect; FMVSS No. 104, Windshield wiping and
washing systems; FMVSS No. 105, Hydraulic and electric brake systems;
FMVSS No. 108, Lamps, reflective devices, and associated equipment;
FMVSS No. 111, Rear visibility; and FMVSS No. 208, Occupant crash
protection. The notice sought public comment regarding the merits of
HOLON's exemption and on
[[Page 46737]]
potential terms and conditions that should be applied to the temporary
exemption if granted. The first comment period ended January 7, 2025.
NHTSA is now reopening the comment for an additional 30 days.
Explanation for Reopening Comment Period
NHTSA has decided to reopen the public comment period for 30 days.
Following the close of the initial comment period, NHTSA requested and
received additional information from HOLON necessary to continue
evaluating the application. NHTSA finds it in the public interest to
reopen the comment period to allow review and comment on the complete
set of materials that HOLON has submitted to NHTSA.
NHTSA recently developed process improvements to evaluate Part 555
applications more efficiently, as outlined in a June 13, 2025
letter.\1\ As stated in that letter, NHTSA intends to publish enhanced
application instructions to help manufacturers better understand the
application requirements in Part 555 and to provide guidance to
manufacturers about the information that will be most helpful to the
agency when evaluating their applications. NHTSA believes that this
guidance will help streamline the Part 555 process by reducing the need
for NHTSA to request additional information from manufacturers in the
future.
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\1\ https://www.nhtsa.gov/press-releases/streamline-exemption-process-noncompliant.
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As noted above, NHTSA has received additional information from
HOLON, and the docket now includes the following materials:
HOLON's final application, received August 28, 2024;
HOLON's responses to NHTSA's first set of follow-up
questions, also received August 28, 2024; and
HOLON's responses to NHTSA's second set of questions,
received July 15, 2025.
Reopening the comment period will provide the public with an
opportunity to review and comment on all relevant materials while
allowing NHTSA to move toward a final decision on HOLON's application.
NHTSA is seeking public comment regarding the merits of HOLON's
application and on potential terms and conditions that should be
applied to the temporary exemption if granted.
Authority: 49 U.S.C. 30113 and 30166; delegation of authority at 49
CFR 1.95, 501.5, and 501.8.
David M. Hines,
Acting Associate Administrator for Rulemaking.
[FR Doc. 2025-18812 Filed 9-26-25; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-59-P