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 to be compliant with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s safety requirements, a claim that the agency is actively investigating.
The NHTSA would not provide comment on an active investigation.
Zoox plans to 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 its “Zoox Explorer” program.
This article has been updated with additional information from Zoox.
