Waymo and Tesla have a new competitor in the robotaxi market. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) on Thursday announced a temporary exemption for Amazon-owned Zoox, allowing the company to finally begin offering commercial rides.
Zoox has been testing its robotaxis for quite some time, and it began offering free rides in Las Vegas and San Francisco last year. The NHTSA exemption, known as Part 555, is the first for a robotaxi service, Zoox says, giving it permission to deploy 2,500 AVs annually for the next two years. It was the last hurdle Zoox had to clear for commercial rides; the company will begin charging in Las Vegas next month. You should be able to book rides via Uber or the Zoox app.
Zoox stands out from the competition with its purpose-built vehicles. Unlike Waymo and Tesla, which use cars retrofitted with autonomous driving technology, Zoox AVs are built from the ground up for autonomous driving.
The toaster-like robotaxi has no pedals or a steering wheel. It opens with floor-to-ceiling sliding doors and offers plenty of space inside for up to four passengers, two on each side. We took it for a ride in Las Vegas last year; check out the video below.
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Zoox has yet to reveal the pricing for its rides or the next cities to get paid rides. Apart from Las Vegas and San Francisco, it has been testing its service in Dallas, Phoenix, Atlanta, Austin, Los Angeles, Miami, Seattle, and Washington, DC.
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Jibin is a tech news writer based out of Ahmedabad, India. Previously, he served as the editor of iGeeksBlog and is a self-proclaimed tech enthusiast who loves breaking down complex information for a broader audience.
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