Amazon’s Zoox secures US federal approval for steering-wheel-free robotaxis Zoox will launch its commercial robotaxi service in Las Vegas after receiving federal clearance. Zoox, Amazon’s brand of autonomous vehicles, has won approval in the United States for limited commercial deployment of its steering-wheel-free robotaxis, a first for the autonomous transportation industry. On Thursday, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) gave its approval for Zoox to begin charging customers for rides, once it secures state and local approval. Recommended Stories list of 3 items- list 1 of 3US opens probe after a Waymo self-driving car hit a child near a school - list 2 of 3Amazon’s Zoox recalls self-driving vehicles amid emergency response issues - list 3 of 3Waymo runs into safety concerns and competition as it expands in the US As part of that approval, the company was granted an exemption from federal rules that require human controls on motor vehicles. NHTSA administrator Jonathan Morrison told the Reuters news agency that Zoox had so far met its safety requirements. But he indicated there would be a staggered rollout, and no Zoox vehicles would be immediately available for sale to the public. “We can say pretty clearly that the systems in place on the Zoox exceed the equivalent performance requirements of a compliant vehicle,” Morrison said. “But we still want to make sure that the automated driving system will operate appropriately.” According to Morrison, Zoox had received clearance to commercially deploy up to 2,500 vehicles in each of the next two years. The NHTSA is also placing additional reporting requirements on Zoox for issues such as crashes or stopping inappropriately on roads. Still, the approval marks a milestone for companies developing robotaxis that deviate from the models of standard motor vehicles. Zoox’s cars are rectangular, carriage-style vehicles with rows of