Vehicle Tech Law

Joel Roberson: Technology lawyer and lobbyist that geeks out on vehicle tech

[Yasmin Khorram @YasminKhorram]

Exclusive: Secretary Lutnick told executives in a closed-door meeting the Commerce Dept. is reviewing Chinese robotics imports and signaled strong action could follow. https://t.co/RZHGp8eAL2

[United States Trade Representative @USTradeRep]

UNLEASHING DRONE DOMINANCE: @POTUS’ economic policies are strengthening our domestic drone sector.

From a small startup to the largest U.S. drone manufacturer by volume, @SkydioHQ continues to expand its domestic manufacturing footprint, investing $3.5 billion to accelerate R&D, creating U.S. manufacturing jobs, and enhancing American supply chains.

[Secretary Sean Duffy @SecDuffy]

🚨WATCH: THE FUTURE OF AVIATION IS TAKING OFF🚨

It was an honor to become the first U.S. Transportation Secretary to fly in an eVTOL🇺🇸

Now we’re taking the future of flight to the next level with projects across 26 states that include testing of:

✅ Urban air taxis
✅ Emergency medical flights
✅ Regional travel 

America will WIN the race for the next generation of aviation @BETA_aircraft @FAANews 🦅

[Rep. Dusty Johnson @RepDustyJohnson]

LiDAR may not be a household name, but the technology provides millimeter‑level data of America’s infrastructure. We cannot rely on Chinese LiDAR systems to examine our roads, and I’m glad my bill to protect America from this spy technology is included in @TransportGOP’s BUILD America 250 Act.

[Greenberg Traurig LLP @GT_Law]

✈️On May 6, 2026, the FAA proposed a rule to establish drone no-fly zones near critical infrastructure and mass gathering sites. Read more in this #GTAlert by Joel Roberson, Daniel Sennott, Matthew Satterley, and Misha Lehrer: https://t.co/lh5kAjz5Vi.

#Aviation #NationalSecurity

[Director Michael Kratsios @mkratsios47]

Congrats to @SkydioHQ on committing $3.5 billion to expand U.S. manufacturing and secure American drone dominance!

Under @POTUS’s leadership, we’re building a strong, secure American drone supply chain that protects our national security and keeps the U.S. at the forefront of this critical technology.

[Adam Bry @adampbry]

The robots are here and they fly.

Today at Ascend, we announced:
• R10 - a breakthrough indoor drone that uses AI and autonomy to get into the most dangerous places so people don’t have to.
• F10 - a prototype Robotic Takeoff and Land (RTOL) drone that will unlock long-range, long-endurance, high-speed missions. It will eventually put all the landmass on Earth within reach of an autonomous, Docked drone. Imagine having all of our transportation and energy networks instantly accessible, or being able to get eyes on scene for every emergency, any natural disaster, immediately, anywhere.
• Continued evolution of our AI software to make X10 multi-drone native so one operator can command many drones, and the robots work for us rather than the other way around.
• Myriad other improvements to our hardware and software to make them more capable, more reliable, and more useful, for more people.

This is a special moment as drones transition from being useful tools to critical infrastructure for our most critical industries. It is an immense challenge - and a true joy - to develop this technology and deploy it in service of the most important customers in the world. And we’ve now got a whole Family of Flying Robots to meet the need. I’m so proud of our team at Skydio for pulling off the impossible.

You can watch the full keynote in the link below, or just check out these sick highlights of the Cybertruck-mounted robot arm snatching F10 out of the air, R10 flying through <10” gaps with ease, and X10s going off out of Docks like fireworks.

[FLYING Magazine @FlyingMagazine]

Hartzell’s next-generation prop earns Part 35 type certification. Here’s what it means. https://t.co/8maOI68AGw

[Chris Rocheleau @FAA_Chris]

The FAA and four international partners are collaborating to enable a safe and efficient rollout of Advanced Air Mobility aircraft across the countries. It’s an incredibly exciting time to be in aviation as we work to safely integrate new technologies. We’re committed to doing whatever we can to foster innovation while also staying true to our safety mission.

Learn more about the collaboration with our international partners at https://t.co/yLGu7bhcjR

[The Wall Street Journal @WSJ]

The CEO of aerospace startup Electra on why a hybrid-electric plane could answer travelers’ desire to skip traffic-clogged trips to the airport and bad connections 🔗 https://t.co/R1dRC7AXe1

[The Wall Street Journal @WSJ]

250,000 rides a week. 10 million total trips. 50 million miles. It’s becoming Waymo’s world—and we’re all just riding in it. https://t.co/LCxkasXBYA

[The Verge @verge]

DJI is skipping the US with its most advanced drone yet https://t.co/jBkjJHVtzK

[Oriana Pawlyk @Oriana0214]

🫢🫣

[Blake Scholl 🛫 @bscholl]

Boom! We cracked it! Today we are introducing Boomless Cruise—supersonic flights up to 50% faster with no audible sonic boom.

We quietly (har har) demo'd this on XB-1's first supersonic flight—three times actually. 🧵👇

[Holland & Knight @Holland_Knight]

The FAA's release of the final Special Federal #Aviation Regulation on powered-lift pilot certification and operation marks a significant milestone in advanced #airmobility #travel. Our latest #AviationLaw Blog examines the regulation's specific requirements for #pilot training, operational standards and certification for powered-lift #aircraft. Read to learn what challenges – and opportunities – this new rule introduces for businesses: https://t.co/CdzCR0ckAa

[Vehicle Tech Law @VehicleTechLaw]

.@FAANews accepts plan from @Delta to use #drones for maintenance inspections https://t.co/0Ydl7YIsyw

[The Washington Post @washingtonpost]

Lawmakers are urging the Commerce Department to crack down on efforts by Chinese companies to circumvent U.S. security bans by facilitating the sale of their products through unusual U.S. licensing agreements — in particular, taking aim at drone maker DJI. https://t.co/nN3JkTmnT6

[Senate Cloakroom @SenateCloakroom]

Passed by Unanimous Consent: H.R.8289, One-Week FAA Extension.

[Senate Cloakroom @SenateCloakroom]

Passed, 88-4: Passage of Cal. #211, H.R.3935, FAA Reauthorization, as amended. (60-vote affirmative threshold)

[Oriana Pawlyk @Oriana0214]

That sound you hear is members in House T&amp;I committee roaring that this could get punted — for the fourth time, if you’re counting along like I am