Zoox is testing its custom robotaxis, which are built without a steering wheel or pedals, on public roads in San Francisco and the Las Vegas Strip.
The rollout of the autonomous vehicles, which Zoox CTO Jesse Levinson first announced at TechCrunch Disrupt, is a public show of force from the Amazon-backed company. Federal regulations prohibit the use of AVs built without human controls for commercial operations. Companies can apply for exemptions, but Zoox has not done so. The company says it has self-certified its AVs, a claim that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is actively investigating.
NHTSA’s rules around vehicles meeting certain safety standards include a “testing and evaluation” exception called the FAST Act, which could be how Zoox is navigating this regulatory minefield. Zoox did not confirm or deny its use of the Fast Act, and NHTSA didn’t respond in time to TechCrunch to provide clarification.
If Zoox is relying on the FAST Act today to roll out its toaster-looking AVs, then it still has some time before it needs to deal with NHTSA again. The company will initially only ferry employees around the SoMa neighborhood of SF and on the Strip and surrounding areas of Vegas. In 2025, Zoox plans to test with early public riders as part of a so-called “Zoox Explorer” program.