Nearly a year ago, Zoox opened its robotaxi service to the public in Las Vegas. Now, it is ready to start charging for those rides.
The Amazon-owned autonomous vehicle technology company said that it will start charging for rides in Las Vegas starting August 10, marking the launch of its commercial operations. The company has spent years working towards this moment.
The Silicon Valley startup was founded in 2014 with a plan to develop a custom-built electric vehicle and the self-driving stack that would drive it, as well as an on-demand ride-sharing app. The company was acquired by Amazon in 2020, and later that year unveiled its robotaxi, a cube-like vehicle equipped with a self-driving system, loads of sensors, and a moonroof, but no steering wheel or pedals. Zoox has spent the past six years testing the vehicle and updating the hardware.
Zoox has faced a number of hurdles over its 12 years, spanning funding, technical development, securing the proper permits for testing, and even several recalls. One major obstacle was lifted last week, when federal safety regulators gave Zoox a temporary exemption from certain federal motor vehicle safety standards.
The exemption, issued by National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), allows the company to charge customers for rides in its robotaxi. Because Zoox vehicles lack many of the traditional controls required under federal law, it needed an exemption in order to operate.
