Federal regulators grant Zoox a custom built robotaxis exemption

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration granted Zoox a waiver demonstrating custom-built Robotaxis on public roads and entered into a related investigation into whether the Amazon-owned company circumvented federal regulations.

The decision, released Wednesday, clears years of debate over whether Zoox’s custom-built self-driving cars comply with federal vehicle safety standards. Zoox claimed it announced it had been self-certified in July 2022. nhtsa bald. The agency began its investigation in March 2023 to investigate the issues, particularly the processes and data that Zoox used to self-certify.

This study did not slow the development and testing of Zoox, an autonomous vehicle technology. In early 2023, Zoox began testing custom-built Robotaxis on public roads near headquarters in Foster City, California, without the steering wheel or other traditional controls. The company has since expanded its testing footprint to Las Vegas and San Francisco.

Zoox does not operate commercial services yet. However, in San Francisco, Robotaxis was opened to employees and hosted family and friends. Earlier this year, the company launched a Zoox Explorer program in Las Vegas for early public riders.

For now, due to the exemption, Zoox will not work commercially.

The NHTSA announcement is linked to a new national framework, with the agency claiming it will make it easier for businesses to deploy self-driving vehicles without traditional manual drive controls such as steering wheels, pedals and side-view mirrors.

With a framework known as AV Step (or ADS-equipped vehicle safety, transparency, and assessment programs), NHTSA lights up green for the sale and commercialization of autonomous vehicles that are not compliant with federal safety standards due to lack of manual control.

The revised process includes rapid applications that allow companies such as Zoox to receive testing and demonstration exemptions. Zoox spokesman Whitney Jenks said in an email that Zoox is working closely with the NHTSA in the process, starting with a demonstration exemption followed by a commercial exemption.

As part of the agreement, NHTSA has concluded its investigation into AVS self-certification for Zoox. Zoox agrees to remove or cover all statements that the dedicated vehicle is in compliance with applicable federal vehicle safety standards.