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EV company Zoox has confirmed it will roll out its fleet of purpose-built robotaxis in San Francisco and Las Vegas in the coming weeks, but it comes under the shadow of an investigation.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has opened a probe into the Amazon subsidiary company over concerns it is not compliant with safety regulations.
Zoox’s unique vehicles resemble toasters, but their lack of convention does not stop there. The autonomous machines do not contain normal auto controls like pedals and steering wheels, but the company is adamant that its self-certification is sufficient to commence operations.
Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) mandates all vehicles to contain several traditional controls which are often very specific. Any deviation from this standard requires an exemption after filing an application with the relevant authorities.
Autonomous vehicle firms are supposed to take this course of action so they can release their fleet, without steering wheels et al, onto the road.
This week at TechCrunch Disrupt 2024, Zoox cofounder and CTO Jesse Levinson stated the launch was imminent, standing firm behind its self-certification.
In a July 2022 blog post, the company set out its challenge “to create a vehicle that would be compliant with FMVSS requirements within the current regulatory structure.” Then last November, it declared the milestone had been reached as the first company to self-certify a purpose-built vehicle to all the required standards.
When Levinson was asked at Disrupt if he had any concerns about the federal government stepping in to prevent the scheduled rollout of Zoox, he was unmoved.
The executive maintained the company is “fully FMVSS compliant” after spending considerable time and resources to adhere to the regulations. Notably, he pointed out the lack of pedals and steering wheels in their vehicles meant they had to interpret the rules in a way that was meaningful to the makeup of a robotaxi.
“Challenging The NHTSA to Call Their Bluff”
Before Zoox can begin offering rides – initially with employees – in the SoMa area of San Francisco and on the Las Vegas strip in the coming weeks, it is likely to face further scrutiny.
The onus is on the NHTSA to conclude its investigation and enforce its own rules if it determines that Zoox is not compliant. It has had to bear more teeth in recent times following fatal crashes involving Ford and Tesla vehicles and their driver-assist tech.
Zoox and Waymo have also been investigated over alleged safety lapses.
The regulator can demand a recall of vehicles, depending on the issue.
Some feel very strongly about the overall situation, as expressed by Michael Brooks, executive director of the Center for Auto Safety.
“Our belief is that a deployment of these vehicles on public roads is a violation of the Safety Act,” he said.
“Zoox isn’t so much exploiting a gray area as they are putting a foot over the red line and challenging NHTSA to call their bluff,” added Brooks unequivocally, blasting the approach taken by the company.
