Zoox's Nevada cap expires this month

The Nevada Transportation Authority permit limiting Zoox to 100 robotaxis expires September 25, removing the regulatory ceiling on the Amazon-owned company's Las Vegas fleet.

“The Nevada Transportation Authority (NTA) permit that imposed the 100-vehicle cap is set to expire September 25”

Zoox has 100 robotaxis across four cities

The company operates custom-built, steering-wheel-free vehicles in Austin, Miami, Las Vegas, and San Francisco. Las Vegas is currently its only city charging for rides.

Federal exemption unlocked commercial service

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration granted Zoox an exemption from safety standards, allowing it to deploy up to 2,500 vehicles per year for two years without traditional controls.

“That exemption was crucial for Zoox because unlike Waymo, its robotaxis were designed without a steering wheel, pedals, or other traditional and federally mandated controls.”

Waymo already launched in Las Vegas

Waymo opened its robotaxi service in Las Vegas earlier this month with dozens of Ojai minivans operating in a 23-square-mile area including the Strip.

Tesla and Uber also got permits approved

In August, Nevada approved permits for Tesla, Uber, and Waymo to operate commercial robotaxi services in Clark County, potentially bringing up to 7,000 robotaxis to the area within 12 months.

Zoox plans steady expansion in coming months

A Zoox spokesperson said the company will gradually increase its fleet to meet high demand in Las Vegas and other markets, though it declined to specify how many vehicles it plans to add.

“Zoox plans to steadily increase the size of its robotaxi fleet over the next several months "to meet the high demand in Las Vegas and other markets."”