US allows Amazon’s Zoox to commercially deploy robotaxis without human controls

Amazon’s Zoox won US approval on Wednesday for limited commercial deployment of its novel steering-wheel-free robotaxis, a first for the autonomous ride industry, the head of the US auto safety agency said.

The exemption from National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) rules requiring human controls marks a milestone for companies developing robotaxis from the ground up rather than modifying conventional cars under safety regulations written long before self-driving technology emerged.