Amazon’s Zoox has cleared a major regulatory hurdle for the launch of its self-driving “robotaxis.” The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said on Wednesday that it granted Zoox an exemption from some requirements, a first for U.S.-built vehicles under a recently expanded Automated Vehicle Exemption Program.
“Transportation innovators can be confident in getting speedy review of their vehicles and, as appropriate, exemption from Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards,” NHTSA Chief Counsel Peter Simshauser said in a release.
As per the waiver, Zoox must “remove or cover” statements claiming its robotaxi meets Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards, NHTSA said. The agency also said it’s closing an investigation of Zoox’s self-certification of its robotaxis.
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“Through this new exemption process, we are excited to embark on this new path, put these discussions behind us, and move forward,” Zoox said in a statement. Meanwhile, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy called this move a “win-win for safety and innovation,” adding, “America – not China – can and will drive the future of self-driving cars forward.”
The Department of Transportation had announced in April that it would expand a program that aims to speed up the autonomous vehicle exemption process to include domestically produced vehicles. Previously, it was limited to imported AVs.
This waiver would allow Zoox to launch its robotaxi service this year, first in Las Vegas with San Francisco and other Bay Area cities, followed by Austin, Miami, Los Angeles and Atlanta. Like Alphabet’s Waymo, Zoox uses robust systems for its autonomous system, including laser lidar, radar, thermal cameras and microphones (to hear emergency vehicles), in addition to digital cameras. However, unlike Waymo, Zoox’s plan from the outset was to create a robotaxi service with an electric model built from the ground up, rather than loading up existing vehicles with sensors and computers.
Zoox vehicles lack steering wheels, mirrors and conventional vehicle controls on public roads. Meanwhile, Tesla has announced that it plans to produce a two-seater CyberCab with no steering wheel or pedals down the line.
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With its decision, “NHTSA has proposed a way to enable Zoox to move forward with confidence,” Zoox said. “Through this new exemption process, we are excited to embark on this new path, put these discussions behind us, and move forward, so Zoox can continue to lead the way in autonomous innovation.”
Zoox was founded 11 years ago, and was purchased by Amazon for $1.3 billion in 2020. In June, it opened a robotaxi manufacturing facility in the San Francisco Bay Area, where it aims to eventually produce 10,000 vehicles a year once it’s at full scale. The company has eyed Las Vegas as its first commercial market, and has plans to begin service there later this year.
This comes less than two months after Tesla launched its robotaxi in Austin, Texas. Since then, the company also announced plans to expand to San Francisco and Arizona.