Zoox Seeks Permission to Operate 2,500 Robotaxis on US Roads

Amazon-owned autonomous vehicle maker Zoox is reportedly seeking an exemption from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration that would allow it to operate as many as 2,500 of its vehicles on roads in the United States.

The company’s current approval only covers vehicles designed for research and demonstrations, and the new request suggests it is preparing for a broader commercial deployment, Bloomberg reported Wednesday (Sept. 24), citing a regulatory filing.

Zoox’s request would allow it to deploy vehicles that are automated, without a human operator on board and without equipment like windshield wipers, defogging systems and occupant crash protection, according to the report.

The company said it is working with NHTSA through the agency’s new exemption process, per the report.

NHTSA said in June that it was streamlining regulations for self-driving car manufacturers.

The agency said it was focusing on an exemption process that allows manufacturers to sell as many as 2,500 vehicles per year that do not fully comply with federal safety standards if manufacturers demonstrate that the vehicles are as safe as compliant vehicles, and that the exemption is in the public interest.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy said at the time in a press release: “We’ve streamlined this process to remove another barrier to transportation innovation in the United States, to ensure American AV companies can out-compete international rivals and maintain safety.”

Zoox said in June 2023 that it had begun operating its driverless robotaxi in Las Vegas by transporting Zoox employees on a 1-mile loop on public roads near the company’s headquarters, with the vehicle operating only at speeds up to 35 mph.

In March 2024, the company said it had expanded the area in which the robotaxis were operating in Las Vegas, operating them within a larger, 5-mile radius of the company’s headquarters and doing so at faster speeds, in light rain and at night.

On Sept. 10, Zoox officially launched its robotaxi service to the public on and around the Las Vegas Strip.

“The autonomous vehicle industry has made remarkable strides this year, bringing us closer to a future of safer, more accessible mobility,” Zoox CEO Aicha Evans said at the time in a press release.

Zoox co-founder and Chief Technology Officer Jesse Levinson told PYMNTS in March that it has been “fun” to see people’s reactions when they first see the robotaxi.

“‘That’s not a car I recognize. What is that?’ Then they get a little bit closer and they’re like, ‘Where’s the driver?’ And there isn’t one,” Levinson said.