Zoox Receives U.S.'s First Commercial License for Steering-Wheel-Free Robotaxis

Zoox, Amazon's autonomous driving subsidiary, received approval from the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) on July 29 to commercially operate fully driverless robotaxis — vehicles with no steering wheel or pedals — under specific conditions. This marks the first such exemption granted in the U.S. for purely autonomous vehicles, representing a pivotal milestone for the autonomous driving industry.

As confirmed by NHTSA on July 30, the exemption permits Zoox to deploy up to 2,500 of its proprietary electric autonomous vehicles annually over the next two years. The vehicle features a unique 'cabin-style' design that eliminates the traditional driver's seat and instead offers two rows of inward-facing seats. Its top speed is Suda 75 mph (≈121 km/h), and it has no steering wheel, accelerator, or brake pedal.

NHTSA Administrator Jonathan Morrison told Reuters that regulators determined Zoox's vehicles "clearly exceed" federal motor vehicle safety standards required for conventional gasoline-powered vehicles, justifying exemptions from certain mandatory manual-control requirements. However, he stressed: "We must still ensure autonomous systems operate continuously and appropriately in real-world road environments."

As a condition of the exemption, Zoox must assume additional regulatory obligations: reporting collisions and abnormal stationary events in real time; ensuring all remote monitoring operators are located within the United States; and publicly publishing digital maps of its operational zones. Zoox is already conducting passenger-carrying tests in parts of Las Vegas and San Francisco; this license will allow it to charge riders — provided it secures complementary state and local approvals.

Notably, the license applies solely to commercial operations: Zoox may not sell any units of this vehicle model to the public. NHTSA also retains the right to suspend the exemption immediately if major safety concerns arise.

Regulatory frameworks are accelerating to keep pace with technological change. Morrison revealed that NHTSA plans to issue its first federal safety standards specifically for autonomous systems before the end of the Trump administration — and intends to revise several legacy regulations originally designed for human drivers, including mandates for brake pedals and rearview mirrors.

At the same time, regulatory scrutiny is intensifying. Earlier this month, NHTSA sent letters to multiple autonomous driving companies demanding they "immediately rectify" high-risk behaviors — including interfering with law enforcement, entering construction zones, lingering at flooded intersections, and failing to detect heavy smoke. In response, Zoox has recalled its fleet of 105 test vehicles for software updates to improve smoke detection capability in emergency scenarios.