Amazon's Zoox seeks to deploy 2,500 robotaxis in US
Zoox, Amazon's self-driving car company, is asking US regulators for permission to put 2,500 fully autonomous robotaxis on the road—no steering wheels or pedals needed.
If approved, Zoox could move from just testing to actually running these futuristic shuttles as a commercial service.
Earlier, Zoox got exemption to demo self-driving car
Back in August 2025, Zoox got the first-ever federal exemption to publicly demo an American-made self-driving car. They even launched a free robotaxi service in Las Vegas earlier this month.
Now, their bigger request is under review by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), and there'll be a public comment period soon.
NHTSA's new approach to driverless cars
Zoox's move is part of a bigger trend: The NHTSA expanded its Automated Vehicle Exemption Program in April 2025 to help companies like Zoox roll out new tech faster by relaxing some old-school safety rules that don't fit driverless cars.
It's all about speeding up innovation while keeping things regulated and safe.