Zoox plans to bring robotaxis to the Uber app in Las Vegas this year

Amazon’s Zoox plans to make robotaxis hailable through the Uber app in Las Vegas later this year, the companies announced Wednesday.

But first, Zoox needs federal approval before it can commercially deploy its robotaxis, which have no steering wheel or pedals. That would require a waiver from the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS). The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) on Wednesday began soliciting public comments on Zoox’s application for these exemptions. (Zoox currently has an exception that allows custom-built robotaxis to operate as demonstrations rather than commercially.)

If Zoox receives approval, the company told TechCrunch it plans to first launch its own commercial robotaxi service and then make its vehicles available for Uber in Las Vegas. Zoox currently offers free rides in Las Vegas and San Francisco. It’s also expanding its presence by creating maps in eight other U.S. cities, including Dallas and Phoenix, which were announced earlier this week.

Zoox and Uber describe it as a “multi-year strategic partnership,” including plans to launch in Los Angeles in 2027.

This is Zoox’s first third-party partnership with a platform like Uber. But this certainly isn’t Uber’s first partnership with a self-driving car company. Uber partners with more than 25 self-driving car companies around the world. The most notable deal is with Waymo, which will make robotaxis available on the Uber platform in Austin and Atlanta. Uber also announced a partnership with China’s Baidu to begin testing self-driving cars in London this year. The ride-hailing giant also has AV partnerships with Volkswagen, May Mobility, and Pony AI.

Uber is also building new services for these robotaxi partners. TechCrunch revealed in January that the company launched an AV Labs division focused on collecting real-world driving data to power its partners’ self-driving systems. Last month, Uber announced the creation of a division called Uber Autonomous Solutions that will provide operations, software and support services.

Zoox is seeking exemptions from eight FMVSSs, including standards that require vehicles to be equipped with windshield defrost systems and wipers. NHTSA will take public comments for 30 days, but it’s unclear when the federal safety agency will make a decision.

At a public hearing on self-driving vehicle safety held Tuesday, NHTSA Administrator Jonathan Morrison expressed his desire to move forward with a clearer regulatory scheme for self-driving vehicles.

“We believe the time for hand-waving and beating the hype is past, and we are finally making the necessary and tough policy efforts to provide appropriate and strong oversight of this area while removing unnecessary and unintended barriers to innovation that currently exist,” he said. “This will not be easy, but we strongly believe it is within reach, and we at NHTSA are working with great urgency to get it done.”