Zoox, the Amazon-owned self-driving technology company, announced the expansion of its driverless test fleet into Los Angeles. The initiative will initially deploy a limited number of retrofitted vehicles with safety drivers to gather critical data before the planned full autonomous rollout later this summer.

Zoox announced an expansion of its driverless testing operations to Los Angeles. The company is deploying a small fleet of retrofitted autonomous vehicles for manual mapping and future autonomous operations as part of its broader urban mobility strategy.

At TechCrunch Disrupt 2024, Zoox's cofounder and CTO announced that the company has self-certified its steering wheel-less, fully autonomous vehicles as compliant with FMVSS requirements. This move comes as NHTSA has opened an investigation into whether bypassing the formal exemption process undermines federal safety laws, with safety advocates warning that such actions could jeopardize public safety.

Zoox's self-driving robotaxi unit is under investigation by the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration following two rear-end crashes involving its autonomous vehicles. The inquiry focuses on the performance of its automated driving system as incidents raised concerns over safety around pedestrians and other vulnerable road users. Zoox has expressed its commitment to transparency and cooperation with regulators.

In 2020, Amazon acquired Zoox for approximately USD 1.2 billion, integrating the autonomous vehicle startup into its logistics and mobility ecosystem. The move not only advanced AI-driven transportation technology but also contributed to further centralization of corporate power in the transportation sector.