Amazon's Zoox has been granted an exemption by federal vehicle safety regulators that will pave the way for demonstration of its driverless robotaxis. As part of the move, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration closed a 2023 probe into Zoox's self-certification process.

Zoox secures NHTSA exemption to launch its steering wheel-free robotaxis, paving the way for autonomous ride services in major U.S. cities this year.

The decision is a boost for Zoox, which in June opened a robotaxi production facility in California where it plans to eventually churn out 10,000 purpose-built robotaxis a year.