Zoox plans to put its robotaxis on the Uber app in Vegas this year

Amazon’s Zoox plans to make its robotaxis available on Uber’s Las Vegas app later this year, the two companies announced Wednesday.

Before that happens, Zoox still needs government approval to commercialize its robotaxis, which has no steering wheel or pedals. This requires non-fatal Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS). On Wednesday, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) He started taking comments from people at Zoox’s service for those removals. (Zoox currently they have rights (which allows custom-made robotics to work as a demonstration, not a commercial.)

If and when Zoox receives approval, the company plans to launch its robotaxi commercial service first, and before it starts producing cars for Uber in Las Vegas, it told TechCrunch. Zoox currently offers free tours in Las Vegas and San Francisco. It is also mapping and promoting a presence in eight other US cities, including Dallas and Phoenix, which were announced earlier this week.

Zoox and Uber described this as a “multi-year partnership,” which includes plans to launch in Los Angeles in 2027.

This is Zoox’s first third-party partnership with a platform like Uber. But it’s not Uber’s first partnership with an autonomous car company. Uber has partnerships with more than 25 independent companies around the world. Its most famous project is Waymo, which makes its robotaxis available on the Uber platform in Austin and Atlanta. Uber has also partnered with China’s Baidu and announced that it will start testing self-driving cars in London this year. The snowboarding giant has AV partnerships with Volkswagen, Ms. Mobilityand Pony AItoo.

Uber has also been developing new offerings for these robotaxis. In January, TechCrunch revealed the company launched the “AV Labs” division dedicated to collecting real-world data to improve the autonomous systems of its partners. Last month, Uber announced that it has created a feature called Uber Autonomous Solutions which may provide services, programs, and support services.

Zoox is seeking an exemption from eight of the FMVSS, including standards that require vehicles to have windshield wipers and windshield wipers. NHTSA will take public comments for 30 days, but it is unclear when the safety agency will issue a decision.

At an independent meeting on vehicle safety on Tuesday, NHTSA chief Jonathan Morrison sounded like he wanted to move forward with a plan to regulate self-driving cars.

“We think it’s time to get past the hand-wringing and hype, and finally we’re doing the necessary, rigorous policy measures to provide proper and strong oversight of the sector and remove unnecessary and unexpected obstacles to the current innovation,” he said. “This won’t be easy, but I believe we can figure it out, and we at NHTSA are moving quickly to make it happen.”