Zoox, a subsidiary of Amazon, yesterday Thursday secured approval from the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) for limited commercial development of its autonomous robotic taxis without steering wheels and pedals, marking a significant development for the autonomous transportation industry.
This is the first such exception to US regulations, which require human controls.
The approval concerns up to 2,500 vehicles per year for 2027 and as many for 2028. According to NHTSA, Zoox vehicles offer a level of safety equivalent to that of conventional vehicles that comply with applicable standards, and in some cases exceed performance requirements. However, the company is not allowed to sell the vehicles to the public.
Under the exemption, Zoox is required to provide additional evidence of incidents such as accidents or improper vehicle stops, maintain remote operators in the United States, and publish maps of the areas where it operates. NHTSA reserves the right to modify or even revoke the approval if serious safety issues arise.
Zoox's electric vehicle has two rows of seats facing each other and develops a maximum speed of 75 miles per hour. The company is already carrying out test routes with passengers in Las Vegas and San Francisco, and will now be able to charge for travel, provided it receives the necessary approvals from state and local authorities.
NHTSA's decision marks a milestone for companies that have been developing autonomous vehicles from the start, such as Zoox, and strengthens competition with other major players in the industry, such as Tesla and Alphabet's Waymo, who are seeking to expand autonomous passenger transportation services in the United States.
