{"id":8197,"date":"2026-07-31T00:35:15","date_gmt":"2026-07-31T00:35:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/2026\/07\/31\/amazons-zoox-secures-us-federal-approval-for-steering-wheel-free-robotaxis\/"},"modified":"2026-07-31T00:35:15","modified_gmt":"2026-07-31T00:35:15","slug":"amazons-zoox-secures-us-federal-approval-for-steering-wheel-free-robotaxis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/2026\/07\/31\/amazons-zoox-secures-us-federal-approval-for-steering-wheel-free-robotaxis\/","title":{"rendered":"Amazon\u2019s Zoox secures US federal approval for steering-wheel-free robotaxis"},"content":{"rendered":"<div aria-live=\"polite\" aria-atomic=\"true\">\n<p>Zoox, Amazon\u2019s brand of autonomous vehicles, has won approval in the United States for limited commercial deployment of its steering-wheel-free robotaxis, a first for the\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/economy\/2026\/6\/23\/us-watchdog-opens-probe-after-tesla-crashes-into-texas-home-killing-woman\">autonomous transportation<\/a> industry.<\/p>\n<p>On Thursday, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) gave its approval for Zoox to begin charging customers for rides, once it secures state and local approval.<\/p>\n<section>\n<h2>Recommended Stories <\/h2>\n<p><span>list of 3 items<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span>list 1 of 3<\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/economy\/2026\/1\/29\/us-opens-probe-after-a-waymo-self-driving-car-hit-a-child-near-a-school\">US opens probe after a Waymo self-driving car hit a child near a school<\/a><\/li>\n<li><span>list 2 of 3<\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2026\/7\/17\/amazons-zoox-recalls-self-driving-vehicles-amid-emergency-response-issues\">Amazon\u2019s Zoox recalls self-driving vehicles amid emergency response issues<\/a><\/li>\n<li><span>list 3 of 3<\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/economy\/2025\/12\/8\/waymo-runs-into-safety-concerns-and-competition-as-it-expands-in-the-us\">Waymo runs into safety concerns and competition as it expands in the US<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span>end of list<\/span><\/section>\n<p>As part of that approval, the company was granted an exemption from federal rules that require human controls on motor vehicles.<\/p>\n<p>NHTSA administrator Jonathan Morrison told the Reuters news agency that Zoox had so far met its safety requirements. But he indicated there would be a staggered rollout, and no Zoox vehicles would be immediately available for sale to the public.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe can say pretty clearly that the systems in place on the Zoox exceed the equivalent performance requirements of a compliant vehicle,\u201d Morrison said. \u201cBut we still want to make sure that the automated driving system will operate appropriately.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>According to Morrison, Zoox had received clearance to commercially deploy up to 2,500 vehicles in each of the next two years.<\/p>\n<p>The NHTSA is also placing additional reporting requirements on Zoox for issues such as crashes or stopping inappropriately on roads.<\/p>\n<p>Still, the approval marks a milestone for companies developing robotaxis that deviate from the models of standard motor vehicles.<\/p>\n<p>Zoox\u2019s cars are rectangular, carriage-style vehicles with rows of passenger seats that face each other, rather than both facing forward. The cars can travel up to 120km, or 75 miles, per hour. There is no driver\u2019s seat, nor pedals or a steering wheel.<\/p>\n<p>The company has already began offering free rides in Las Vegas and San Francisco last year. It will soon begin charging for service, first in Las Vegas, with additional markets to follow as it completes state requirements.<\/p>\n<p>Advocates for autonomous vehicles argue that NHTSA\u2019s safety regulations were written before self-driving technology emerged. Such regulations, they say, can impede the development of new models of cars.<\/p>\n<p>Critics, however, warn that loosening restrictions on autonomous vehicles could turn city streets into real-world technology experiments, putting lives at risk.<\/p>\n<p>They point to incidents where driverless vehicles have <a href=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/economy\/2026\/1\/29\/us-opens-probe-after-a-waymo-self-driving-car-hit-a-child-near-a-school\">struck pedestrians<\/a> or <a href=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/economy\/2025\/12\/8\/waymo-runs-into-safety-concerns-and-competition-as-it-expands-in-the-us\">animals<\/a>, or have stalled in roadways, blocking traffic and emergency vehicles.<\/p>\n<p>Just this month, Morrison issued a letter telling developers of autonomous vehicles (AVs) to \u201cimmediately focus\u201d on fixing what NHTSA identified as \u201ca clear pattern of driverless AVs interfering with law enforcement and other first responders\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>Following the letter,\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2026\/7\/17\/amazons-zoox-recalls-self-driving-vehicles-amid-emergency-response-issues\">Zoox\u00a0recalled its fleet\u00a0of 105 autonomous vehicles<\/a> to update the software, saying they might not detect heavy smoke, particularly in active emergencies.<\/p>\n<p>The Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety group raised concerns about Zoox\u2019s plan to operate without a steering wheel or other standard controls because the company didn\u2019t provide detailed evidence to show that its vehicles could operate safely on public roads.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLots of promises, lots of glossy language, lots of \u2018We believe, we think we\u2019ll do this.\u2019 Yet there really was no data behind the promises, and that\u2019s really concerning to us,\u201d Peter Kurdock, the group\u2019s general counsel, told The Associated Press news agency.<\/p>\n<p>Zoox and <a href=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/economy\/2026\/7\/29\/us-bans-imports-of-new-chinese-robots-over-security-concerns\">Tesla<\/a> are working to catch up to the industry-leading Waymo, which already operates in multiple cities.<\/p>\n<p>Waymo is owned by Google\u2019s parent company, Alphabet, and its vehicles are electric Jaguar SUVs, which include steering wheels and pedals for manual control if needed.<\/p>\n<p>Zoox CEO Aicha Evans said this approval is an important milestone for autonomous vehicles.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis achievement reflects a shared commitment to enabling innovation while maintaining the highest standards of safety,\u201d Evans said.<\/p>\n<p>Amazon\u00a0hopes to eventually produce as many as 10,000 robotaxis a year at a plant near Silicon Valley as it works to challenge <a href=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/economy\/2026\/1\/29\/us-opens-probe-after-a-waymo-self-driving-car-hit-a-child-near-a-school\">Waymo<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Amazon paid $1.2bn to acquire self-driving startup Zoox. The company said that more than half a million people have already ridden in its vehicles.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Zoox, Amazon\u2019s brand of autonomous vehicles, has won approval in the United States for limited commercial deployment of its steering-wheel-free robotaxis, a first for the\u00a0autonomous transportation industry. On Thursday, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) gave its approval for Zoox to begin charging customers for rides, once it secures state and local approval. 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