The End of Online Drivers Approaches: Signs Emerge from the US
The US road safety regulator has granted a significant approval to Zoox’s steering-wheel-less robotaxis, an autonomous vehicle unit owned by Amazon. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has authorised Zoox to proceed with limited commercial deployment of its driverless robotaxis, marking the first such approval in the autonomous transport services industry.
Zoox stated that the NHTSA decision provides federal approval for the company to begin charging passengers. Paid services are set to launch in Las Vegas before expanding to other markets, subject to meeting various state-level requirements. The NHTSA exemption relieves Zoox from several federal regulations that mandate human controls within vehicles. This represents a major milestone for companies developing robotaxis from the ground up, rather than modifying conventional cars based on safety regulations designed long before driverless technology matured.
Zoox utilises electric vehicles with a carriage-style design featuring two rows of facing seats, capable of reaching speeds of up to 120 kilometres per hour. The company is currently competing with Tesla and Alphabet’s Waymo to expand autonomous transport services across the United States. NHTSA Administrator Jonathan Morrison stated that Zoox has been permitted to operate up to 2,500 vehicles commercially in each of the next two years.
Currently, Zoox is transporting passengers in parts of Las Vegas and San Francisco during its testing phase. Under this exemption, Zoox is permitted to charge fares, provided it obtains approval from state and local authorities. The NHTSA stated that Zoox vehicles maintain safety levels equivalent to those meeting federal motor vehicle safety standards, despite certain specific exemptions. However, Zoox is not permitted to sell these vehicles to the general public.
“We can say quite clearly that the systems on Zoox exceed the equivalent performance requirements of vehicles that meet the rules,” said Morrison, as quoted by Reuters. “However, we still want to ensure that the automated driving systems operate properly.”
As part of the approval, the NHTSA requires Zoox to provide additional reports regarding accidents, unexpected vehicle stops, and other incidents. The regulator will also adjust requirements based on vehicle behaviour in the field. Morrison emphasised that the NHTSA retains the authority to revoke the exemption if serious safety issues are identified.
Furthermore, the NHTSA requires all Zoox remote operators to be located within the United States and mandates that the company publish maps of its autonomous vehicle operational areas. Morrison noted that the NHTSA aims to draft the first federal safety standards for automated driving systems before the end of the Donald Trump administration. The regulator has also proposed changes to several legacy rules that remain oriented towards human drivers, including requirements for brake pedals and rearview mirrors.
US regulators are currently working to amend rules to allow more driverless vehicles to operate while maintaining safety. Earlier this month, Morrison sent a letter to autonomous vehicle developers urging them to address issues identified by the NHTSA as patterns of driverless vehicles disrupting law enforcement and emergency responders. Incidents such as robotaxis crossing stopped school buses, entering construction zones, or stopping abruptly in flooded roads or busy intersections have sparked public safety concerns. Following this, Zoox recalled 104 autonomous vehicles to update software after identifying potential failures in detecting thick smoke during emergency conditions.