Amazon's Zoox Secures Federal Approval for Driverless Vehicle Fleet
Amazon's Zoox has just secured federal approval to deploy up to 2,500 driverless vehicles annually in the US. This is a significant milestone for the company, as it becomes the first vehicle manufacturer to receive permission to operate without manual controls.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) granted temporary permission to Zoox after reviewing its safety systems and determining that they meet federal performance requirements.
This approval puts pressure on Tesla and Waymo, which are also racing to expand their autonomous ride-hailing services. While Waymo has already logged over 220 million miles of fully autonomous driving, it remains unclear when or if the company will receive federal approval for its robotaxi service.
Tesla's own plans for a robotaxi fleet remain uncertain, with CEO Elon Musk predicting that AI will drive 90% of all distance driven within the next decade. However, the company still needs to secure federal approval for its driverless vehicles before they can be commercially deployed.