By JOSH FUNK, AP Transportation Writer
Federal regulators are clearing the way for robotaxis to operate without steering wheels or eventually even brake pedals as the rules start to catch up to the evolving technology.
Amazon’s fully autonomous Zoox vehicles got approval Thursday to begin charging customers for rides in the specially designed boxy cars that feature four inward-facing seats once they secure state and local approval. Zoox has already been offering free rides in Las Vegas and San Francisco since last year.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration also proposed a rule last month to allow robotaxis to operate without brake pedals, but that proposal is still pending. Administrator Jonathan Morrison said his agency wants to clear the way for the safe development of autonomous vehicles.
“By removing unnecessary barriers to innovation, developing industry guidance, and providing strong enforcement oversight while we create performance requirements, NHTSA is taking a balanced approach to AV regulation,” Morrison said in a statement. “These advancements will ensure that the United States continues to lead the world in AV technology in a safe and responsible manner.”
Zoox and Tesla are working to catch up to the industry-leading Waymo that already operates in multiple cities. Waymo is owned by Google’s parent company, Alphabet.
Amazon hopes to eventually produce as many as 10,000 robotaxis a year at a plant near Silicon Valley as it works to challenge Waymo. Amazon paid $1.2 billion to acquire self-driving startup Zoox. Initially, Zoox will only be allowed to deploy up to 2,500 vehicles without steering wheels over the next two years as it works to prove the technology is safe. The company said that more than half a million people have already ridden in its vehicles.
Related Posts:
- Sparks fall to Liberty in shootout, as losing streak reaches 6 games News Sparks forward Cameron Brink gestures after making a 3-point shot during the first half of a WNBA game against the New York Liberty on Tuesday, July 28, 2026, at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by Libby Cline Birmingham, Contributing Photographer) New York Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu, left, takes a shot as Sparks…
- OpenAI’s rogue robot broke into another company – could your data be next? News A ChatGPT bot broke out of its cage and was doing slightly more than just fine (Picture: Metro/Getty Images) An AI model by the company behind ChatGPT has compromised a company for the second time. OpenAI said last week that two of its models escaped and launched a cyberattack on…
- ‘Dancing with the Stars: The Next Pro’ Judge Shirley Ballas Tipped for New ‘DWTS’ Role, Could Mean Change for Mark Ballas Too Entertainment <p id="par-1_44">Three-time <a href="https://www.cheatsheet.com/tag/dancing-with-the-stars/?swcfpc=1" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><em>Dancing with the Stars</em> </a> Mirrorball Champion <a href="https://www.cheatsheet.com/news/dancing-with-the-stars-mirrorball-mark-ballas-won.html/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Mark Ballas</a> and his mother, renowned ballroom expert and head judge on the British series <em>Strictly Come Dancing</em>, Shirley Ballas, are the judges for the new dance competition <em>Dancing with the Stars: The…
- Between prices and a diarrhea-causing parasite, lettuce is causing hard times at some restaurants News By DEE-ANN DURBIN, AP Business Writer It’s been a choppy year for restaurants that lean into lettuce. Lettuce prices rose sharply in the first half of 2026 due to hot weather in Arizona, where about one-third of America’s lettuce is grown. Now, restaurants are dealing with the fallout from a…
- For some, ‘Skynet Day’ came too close to sci-fi after a rogue agent hacked into a startup News By LAURIE KELLMAN and LINDSEY BAHR To be fair, James Cameron did warn us. Long before OpenAI broke out of its test corral and hacked into Hugging Face, before the internet and Sam Altman were even born, Cameron wrote a screenplay about an autonomous artificial intelligence system that triggers a…
(Visited 1 times, 1 visits today)