General Motors Co is set to name a senior U.S Senate aide and former top auto safety official as its new regulatory affairs chief as the largest U.S. automaker expands its electric vehicle plans, sources told Reuters.

GM will appoint David Strickland as vice president for global regulatory affairs, beginning Oct. 1, they said.

Strickland is currently staff director of the U.S. Senate Commerce Committee and served as National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) chief under President Barack Obama.

GM, which is moving aggressively to develop self-driving vehicles, has said it aspires to stop selling gasoline-powered new light-duty passenger vehicles by 2035.