Amazon’s Zoox secures US federal approval for steering-wheel-free robotaxis

What the report says

Al Jazeera, citing Reuters and The Associated Press, reported that Zoox, Amazon’s autonomous-vehicle unit, has received US federal clearance for a limited commercial rollout of robotaxis built without steering wheels, pedals or a driver’s seat. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration approved the company to charge for rides once it also obtains required state and local permissions. Zoox plans to begin paid service in Las Vegas, after previously offering free rides in Las Vegas and San Francisco.

The approval includes an exemption from federal vehicle rules that assume human controls are present. NHTSA Administrator Jonathan Morrison said Zoox had met safety requirements to date, while indicating the rollout would be gradual and that the vehicles are not being cleared for immediate public sale. The agency authorized commercial deployment of as many as 2,500 vehicles in each of the next two years and added reporting obligations covering incidents such as crashes or improper stops on roads.

The decision is significant because Zoox’s vehicle design departs from conventional cars: its carriage-style cabin has facing passenger seats and no manual driving controls. Supporters of autonomous vehicles argue that older safety rules can limit innovation, while critics say easing requirements could expose public roads to unproven technology. Al Jazeera noted recent concerns involving driverless vehicles interfering with emergency responders; Zoox also recalled 105 vehicles for a software update related to detecting heavy smoke.

The approval positions Zoox to compete more directly with Alphabet-owned Waymo, which already operates robotaxi services in several cities using vehicles that retain manual controls. Amazon acquired Zoox for $1.2bn and has ambitions to expand production near Silicon Valley.