Amazon's Zoox has received a temporary exemption from federal safety regulators, specifically the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, allowing it to charge customers for rides in its autonomous vehicles. This marks a significant milestone for the driverless-car industry and companies developing robotaxis from the ground up.
The clearance is a first for a purpose-built autonomous vehicle like Zoox, which is custom-built without a steering wheel or pedals.
Zoox plans to launch its commercial robotaxi service in Las Vegas. Under the new regulatory guidance, the company is permitted to commercially deploy as many as 2,500 vehicles annually in the US over the next two years, clearing the way for more robotaxis in a market dominated by Alphabet Inc.’s Waymo.