Federal regulators are reviewing a proposal from Amazon-owned autonomous vehicle company Zoox to deploy robotaxis on U.S. roads without traditional driver controls. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced March 10 that it is seeking public comment on Zoox’s request to operate up to 2,500 purpose-built vehicles that do not include steering wheels or other manual controls.
The request represents a key regulatory step for autonomous vehicle manufacturers that want to deploy vehicles designed without human drivers in mind.
NHTSA Opens Comment Period on Zoox Petition
Zoox filed a petition with NHTSA in August seeking approval to deploy up to 2,500 steering-wheel-free robotaxis. The company stated that its vehicles would provide at least an equivalent level of safety compared with human-driven vehicles.
However, Zoox also requested exemptions from eight federal vehicle safety standards. Those standards were originally written for vehicles operated by human drivers and include requirements tied to controls such as steering wheels, pedals, and mirrors.
Under federal law, NHTSA can grant petitions that allow manufacturers to deploy up to 2,500 vehicles per year without required human controls. Before approving such requests, the agency must determine that the vehicles offer an equivalent level of safety and that the exemptions serve the public interest.
Transportation Department Highlights Regulatory Progress
U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy addressed the issue at a forum on Tuesday. He said the Zoox petition marks an important development for the autonomous vehicle industry.
“This marks a major milestone towards providing the American AV industry with a streamlined pathway to scaled commercial deployment of novel AV fleets,” Duffy said.
He also said he approved the next round of proposed revisions to Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards. These revisions would address vehicles designed to operate without human drivers.
Long Review Process for Autonomous Vehicle Exemptions
Although NHTSA has the authority to approve such petitions, the agency has spent years reviewing similar exemption requests without final action.
Manufacturers must demonstrate that vehicles without traditional controls provide a level of safety equivalent to vehicles driven by humans. In addition, the agency must determine that granting exemptions aligns with the public interest.
In 2025, NHTSA said it would streamline the review process for requests from automakers seeking to deploy autonomous vehicles without controls such as steering wheels, brake pedals, or mirrors.
Automakers previously expressed frustration with the pace of regulatory reviews for autonomous vehicles.
Current law does not require NHTSA approval for fully self-driving vehicles if they still include standard human controls.
Zoox Robotaxi Design and Capabilities
Zoox unveiled its fully autonomous electric robotaxi in December 2020. The vehicle is designed specifically for autonomous operation rather than modified from a traditional car.
The robotaxi has a top speed of 75 miles per hour. It also features campfire-style or carriage-style seating that allows passengers to face one another.
Previous Autonomous Vehicle Petitions
Other automakers have previously pursued similar exemptions from federal safety standards.
In 2018, General Motors petitioned NHTSA for permission to deploy up to 2,500 vehicles without steering wheels or brake pedals on U.S. roads. The company withdrew that request in 2020.
GM submitted another petition in 2022 seeking approval to deploy vehicles without human controls. However, the automaker withdrew that request in October 2024.
NHTSA is now collecting public comments on the Zoox petition as part of its review process.
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