Zoox clears final federal hurdle to launch paid robotaxi service
Amazon-owned Zoox has received a federal exemption from the NHTSA to charge passengers for rides in its custom-built, steering-wheel-less robotaxis. This regulatory milestone allows the company to operate a commercial service with a fleet of up to 2,500 vehicles over the next two years.
Why it matters
This represents a significant step toward the mainstream commercialization of fully autonomous vehicles that lack traditional human-operated controls.
Federal safety regulators have given Zoox a temporary exemption that will allow the Amazon-owned autonomous vehicle technology company to charge customers for rides in its custom-built robotaxi.
The exemption from certain federal motor vehicle safety standards, which was announced Thursday by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, was one of the last remaining regulatory hurdles Zoox needed to clear before launching a commercial robotaxi service.
The decision was also published in the federal register.
Zoox custom-built vehicles lack many of the traditional controls required under federal law. For instance, the company’s autonomous vehicles do not have steering wheels or pedals. The agency is providing an exemption for eight federal motor vehicles standards, including windshield defrosting and light vehicle braking systems.
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