Amazon.com’s (NASDAQ:AMZN) self-driving unit, Zoox, has requested broader clearance from U.S. regulators to deploy robotaxis without traditional driving controls, signaling its push toward a commercial rollout.
In a filing made public Wednesday, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said Zoox requested exemptions from federal vehicle safety standards to operate up to 2,500 autonomous vehicles on U.S. roads. Earlier approvals only covered research and demonstration use, Bloomberg reported on Wednesday.
Also Read: Amazon’s Zoox Issues Second Robotaxi Recall in a Month After San Francisco Crash
Benzinga reached out to Zoox’s investor relations team for their take on the report and is awaiting their response.
Self-driving companies are moving quickly to take advantage of the Trump administration’s efforts to ease regulatory barriers after grappling with hurdles under prior rules that assumed human drivers were present.
On September 11, Zoox advanced its robotaxi strategy by launching a fully autonomous ride-hailing service on the Las Vegas Strip.
Zoox has long distinguished itself by designing purpose-built robotaxis rather than retrofitting existing cars. Its bi-directional shuttles have no steering wheels or pedals and seat four passengers in a carriage-style layout. The company produces these vehicles at its new facility in Hayward, California, which is capable of manufacturing over 10,000 units per year.
The Vegas service offers free rides through a mobile app to destinations like Resorts World, AREA15 and Topgolf, with paid services to follow pending regulatory approval. Las Vegas, with over 40 million annual visitors, gives Zoox an ideal testbed for scaling ride-hailing operations. Zoox has also opened a waitlist in San Francisco and is eyeing expansions into Miami and Austin.
The company’s mission to reinvent urban transportation places it in direct competition with Tesla’s (NASDAQ:TSLA) forthcoming “Cybercab” robotaxi and Alphabet’s (NASDAQ:GOOGL) Waymo, which is already running commercial services in multiple U.S. cities.
Zoox already won exemptions in August for its purpose-built, bi-directional robotaxis, which lack foot pedals and steering wheels. The latest filing seeks waivers for standards involving windshield wipers, defogging, and crash protection systems.
Price Action: As of last check on Wednesday, AMZN stock was down 0.39% to $ 219.80.
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