WASHINGTON — Ford Motor Co. has withdrawn its petition to deploy a restricted variety of self-driving automobiles with out conventional driving controls or options on U.S. roads, an unpublished federal doc reveals.

Within the discover, which is scheduled to be revealed Friday, NHTSA mentioned Ford has withdrawn its July 2021 request for a brief exemption from sure federal security requirements for a car geared up with an automatic driving system.

Ford sought an exemption from seven security requirements to deploy automobiles that might be used to help mobility providers akin to ride-sharing and package deal supply, in keeping with the petition.

Ford notified NHTSA in February of its choice to withdraw the petition.

If it had been authorized, it will have allowed Ford to deploy as much as 2,500 self-driving automobiles yearly.

In a press release to Automotive Information, Ford spokesman Alan Corridor mentioned it withdrew the petition as a part of a strategic choice introduced in late 2022 to focus extra on its superior driver-assist system growth for personally owned automobiles, “shifting away from growing Stage 4 autonomous automobiles for business fleets.”

“On account of this choice, we not want NHTSA to increase the exemption petition to help Stage 4-related testing for Ford at the moment,” Corridor mentioned.

Common Motors‘ self-driving unit, Cruise, is looking for an exemption from six security requirements to deploy its Origin car, which is constructed for fleet-controlled ride-share and supply providers. The Origin will not be geared up with handbook controls or options akin to a steering wheel, pedals, handbook flip indicators and mirrors, in keeping with the petition. That request remains to be awaiting approval by NHTSA.

In August, NHTSA prolonged a deadline for public touch upon each automakers’ petitions.

NHTSA granted its first-ever exemption petition permitting restricted deployment of automated driving methods to Nuro Inc. in 2020.