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Zoox

SubsidiaryFounded 2014🇺🇸Foster City, CaliforniaCEO Aicha Evans

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Zoox is Amazon's robotaxi company and the first operator in the United States cleared to charge fares in a purpose-built driverless vehicle with no steering wheel, pedals, or mirrors.

Latest update Oct 3, 2026

01

Overview

NHTSA granted it a two-year exemption from portions of eight Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards on July 30, 2026, capped at 2,500 vehicles a year, and Zoox flipped its roughly 65-vehicle Las Vegas fleet to paid service on August 10, 2026, including Harry Reid International Airport from September 3. It designs and builds its bidirectional, four-seat, all-electric robotaxi at a Hayward, California plant sized for up to 10,000 vehicles a year, still runs free public rides in San Francisco while it waits on California DMV and CPUC deployment permits, and has test fleets across twelve announced U.S. metros. On September 29, 2026 Zoox told CBS Colorado it is operating a small Denver test fleet for a few months this winter, driven manually with no passengers and with no Denver service plans. Houston and San Diego remain a September 1 supervised-mapping announcement; Zoox has not posted first Houston miles. NTA still posts AVNC Permit 001 Sub 5 with 100-vehicle language limited to the first 12 months after the original September 25, 2025 permit. KSNV reported Zoox said no passengers were inside the robotaxi in the September 25 Las Vegas Strip crash; NHP is investigating. The March 2026 Uber app partnership has not gone live. Wikipedia still lists about 2,200 employees (2023); Zoox and Amazon do not disclose current headcount.

cbsnews.comUpdated Oct 3, 2026

02

What's next9

All milestones

  1. 2026-2027

    Open Austin and Miami to public riders

    Both cities were named as service markets on March 24, 2026 and started with rides limited to Zoox employees plus friends and family, with an Austin waitlist and Explorers early-rider access to follow. Converting them into open public service, and then into paid service, is the next test of whether Zoox's city-by-city playbook scales beyond Las Vegas.

    cnbc.com

  2. 2026-2027

    Ramp Hayward output toward 100 robotaxis per week

    The Hayward plant opened in 2025 building roughly one robotaxi a day against a design capacity of about three an hour, or 10,000 a year. Zoox says it is stepping output up toward as many as 100 vehicles a week, and in May 2026 leased an additional 10.2-acre, 34,000-square-foot site on Clawiter Road as a logistics and staging hub for finished vehicles. Fleet supply, not demand, is the constraint on multi-city commercial service.

    therobotreport.com

  3. 2026

    Confirm first Houston mapping miles

    TargetAfter the September 2026 announcement; still unconfirmed as of 2026-09-28

    cnbc.com

  4. 2026

    Complete the Denver winter training window

    TargetA few months this winter from 2026-09-29

    cbsnews.com

  5. Late 2026

    Launch on the Uber app in Las Vegas

    TargetLate 2026 (Las Vegas); mid-2027 (Los Angeles)

    Zoox and Uber announced a strategic partnership on March 11, 2026 to match eligible Uber trips with Zoox robotaxis, starting in Las Vegas with a 'summer 2026' target and extending to Los Angeles by mid-2027. That summer window has now passed without a public go-live: TechCrunch's September 3, 2026 airport-expansion report still described Uber as planning to operate robotaxis in Clark County through partnerships with Motional and Zoox, and mid-September reporting still had paid Las Vegas Zoox rides bookable only on Zoox's own app.

    techspot.com

03

Latest news7

All news

  1. Zoox robotaxi in Las Vegas Strip crash that sent a driver to hospital

    Nevada Highway Patrol said an autonomous Zoox vehicle and a silver Nissan Murano collided about 9:01 a.m. on Sept. 25 on southbound Las Vegas Boulevard at Four Seasons Drive. The Nissan driver was taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening, minor upper-body injuries, according to NHP and KTNV. Fault has not been assigned, and KTNV said it had asked Zoox for a statement.

    www.reviewjournal.com www.ktnv.com

  2. Zoox grounds Atlanta test fleet after gas-exposure reports

    Zoox has grounded its Atlanta autonomous test fleet after safety drivers reported possible carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, or hydrogen sulfide exposure inside gasoline Highlander test vehicles in August. TechCrunch reported an OSHA inquiry after a worker complaint and Zoox's statement that it identified 28 employees who rode in six vehicles with an unexplained odor, detected CO2, and has ceased test-vehicle operations in that market while it investigates. Zoox said its purpose-built electric robotaxis are not affected, and OSHA has since closed its inquiry.

    techcrunch.com

  3. Zoox's 100-robotaxi cap in Nevada expires September 25

    The Nevada Transportation Authority permit that limits Zoox to 100 robotaxis in the state expires on September 25, clearing the way for the Amazon-owned company to grow its paid Las Vegas fleet, an NTA official and a Zoox spokesperson confirmed to TechCrunch. Zoox operates roughly 100 of its purpose-built vehicles across four U.S. cities and Las Vegas remains the only market where it charges fares, with an independent tracker estimating more than 30 vehicles in the city today. A Zoox spokesperson declined to give a target fleet size but said the company plans to steadily increase it over the next several months, just as Tesla, Uber and Waymo ramp up under Clark County permits approved in August that together allow up to 7,000 robotaxis over a year.

    TechCrunch

  4. Zoox extends Las Vegas robotaxi service to the airport

    Zoox extended its commercial robotaxi service in Las Vegas to Harry Reid International Airport on September 3, 2026, letting customers hail paid rides to and from the airport for the first time. The move unlocks one of the highest-demand ride-hailing destinations in Zoox's only paid market and builds on a string of recent regulatory and commercial wins for the Amazon-owned autonomous vehicle company.

    TechCrunch

  5. Zoox begins supervised robotaxi testing in Houston, San Diego

    Amazon's Zoox said it is starting supervised testing, with human safety operators on board, in Houston and San Diego beginning in September 2026, mapping streets ahead of eventual autonomous rides. The additions bring Zoox's US test-fleet footprint to 12 metro areas, though the company has not given a timeline for passenger service in either city; it still offers paid rides only in Las Vegas and free rides in San Francisco while the robotaxi race with Waymo intensifies.

    CNBC

04

Products3

05

Key metrics

Employees
~2,200 was Zoox's last public figure

(2023); Zoox and Amazon still do not disclose current headcount, but third-party employment trackers (Revelio Labs, Tracxn) estimate roughly 4,700-5,700 employees as of mid-2026, reflecting the Hayward production ramp and multi-city expansion

Est. annual revenue

Effectively pre-revenue at Amazon-disclosure scale. Every Zoox ride was free until August 10, 2026, when Las Vegas fares began; Amazon does not break out Zoox revenue in its filings and no run-rate has been disclosed as of Amazon's Q2 2026 results or mid-September 2026 reporting.

Paid Service Markets
1

(Las Vegas, since August 10, 2026, including Harry Reid International Airport since September 3, 2026). San Francisco rides remain free pending California DMV and CPUC driverless deployment permits; Austin and Miami are in early-rider phases

Test Markets
12

(San Francisco Bay Area, Las Vegas, Seattle, Austin, Miami, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Washington D.C., Phoenix, Dallas, plus Houston and San Diego added September 1, 2026 for supervised safety-driver mapping). Houston testing was due to start later in September 2026 with retrofitted SUVs covering Rice Village, the Texas Medical Center, the Galleria, Memorial Park, Downtown, Midtown and Hyde Park; no public confirmation of first mapping miles as of September 17.

Riders Served

Nearly 1M riders cumulatively across all four active markets (Las Vegas, San Francisco, Austin, Miami) as of late August 2026, still the latest cumulative rider figure as of September 17, 2026; Las Vegas alone accounts for 350,000+ riders. Company-reported weekly volume is about 10,000 US rides.

Autonomous Miles

3M+ cumulatively across all four active markets as of late August 2026, still the latest cumulative-mile figure as of September 17, 2026, up from 1M+ in March 2026; Las Vegas alone accounts for nearly 2M miles

US Weekly Rides and Fleet

About 10,000 rides a week across a fleet of roughly 100 autonomous vehicles as of mid-September 2026 reporting, versus Waymo's more than 500,000 rides a week and nearly 4,000 vehicles. The ~65-vehicle Las Vegas paid fleet sits inside that broader ~100-vehicle total.

Las Vegas Fleet

~65 robotaxis in paid Las Vegas service since August 10, 2026, under a July 16, 2026 Nevada Transportation Authority AVNC permit capped at 100 vehicles inside an approved Clark County geofence

Federal Deployment Cap

2,500 vehicles per year under the NHTSA Part 555 exemption, effective July 31, 2026 through July 31, 2028

US Robotaxi App Share

25% of US robotaxi app monthly active users in June 2026, up from 15% in January 2026 (Apptopia); Waymo fell from 79% to 69% over the same period and Tesla's user base was roughly flat. No newer independent app-share snapshot has been published as of September 8, 2026

Production Capacity

Hayward, California plant designed for up to 10,000 robotaxis a year (about three per hour); output was roughly one per day at opening in 2025 and is being ramped toward 100 vehicles a week. No newer disclosed weekly-output figure as of September 8, 2026

Atlanta Test Fleet
Grounded as of September 23, 2026

Zoox told TechCrunch it identified 28 employees who rode in six Highlander test vehicles with an unexplained odor, detected CO2, ceased test-vehicle operations in that market, and that purpose-built electric robotaxis are not affected. OSHA opened then closed an inquiry.

Nevada Fleet Cap

The NTA 100-vehicle cap expires September 25, 2026. An NTA official and Zoox confirmed to TechCrunch that an updated permit lifts the ceiling. Zoox declined to name a new Las Vegas fleet size; Robotaxi Tracker counted more than 30 vehicles in the city as of mid-September.

Nevada Fleet Cap

Posted AVNC Permit 001 Sub 5 still states a 100-vehicle limit for the first 12 months after the original Sept. 25, 2025 permit. That window ended Sept. 25, 2026. No later certificate deleting the 100-vehicle language was on the NTA site as of Sept. 28.

Houston mapping miles
Unconfirmed as of Sept

28, 2026. Sept. 1 CNBC/company plan was later-September supervised Highlander mapping; Zoox has not posted first-miles confirmation.

Denver winter test
Small fleet operating as of Sept

29 for a few months this winter; safety operators drive manually; no passengers; no Denver service plans

Houston mapping miles
Still unconfirmed as of Oct

3, 2026. Sept. 1 announcement was later-September supervised Highlander mapping; Zoox has not posted first-miles confirmation.

06

Operations & revenue

Operating status

Operational in Las Vegas; Denver winter test live; Houston mapping unconfirmed; NTA Sub 5 still posted

NTA still posts Zoox AVNC Permit 001 Sub 5 (dated about Aug. 28, 2026). The 100-vehicle restriction applies only to the first 12 months after the original Sept. 25, 2025 permit, so that term ended Sept. 25, 2026; NTA has not posted a later certificate that deletes the 100-vehicle language. Zoox has not confirmed first Houston mapping miles after the Sept. 1 later-this-month announcement. On Sept. 29 Zoox told CBS Colorado it is operating a small Denver test fleet for a few months this winter, driven manually, with no passengers and no Denver service plans. KSNV quoted Zoox saying the Sept. 25 Strip crash vehicle was empty; NHP is investigating and fault is unassigned. Paid service remains Las Vegas only. Atlanta Highlander tests remain ceased. Official zoox.com pages other than selected journal titles were JS-empty on this pass.

Revenue streams

  • Robotaxi Fares (Las Vegas)

    Zoox's only revenue-generating stream today. Fares combine a base charge with per-mile and per-minute components, quoted and locked in before booking, plus disclosed destination surcharges for the airport and venues such as the Sphere and T-Mobile Arena. Pricing is positioned in the comfort tier of conventional ride-hail apps.

  • Uber Platform Distribution (planned)

    A March 2026 strategic partnership will let Uber riders be matched with Zoox robotaxis on eligible trips, first in Las Vegas and later Los Angeles (mid-2027), giving Zoox a second booking channel alongside its own app. The original summer 2026 Las Vegas target has slipped; as of September 17, 2026 the integration had not gone live and Zoox continued to take paid fares only through its own app.

07

Track record

How past announced dates turned out.

2/3announced dates hit on time

  • 2 Hit
  • 1 Slipped
  • 0 Missed
  1. Slipped

    Launch on the Uber app in Las Vegas

    Target Summer 2026 · Resolved Sep 8, 2026

    The summer 2026 Las Vegas Uber-app target passed without a public go-live. TechCrunch's September 3, 2026 report on Zoox's Harry Reid airport expansion still described Uber as planning to operate robotaxis in Clark County through partnerships with Motional and Zoox, and the Nevada Transportation Authority approved commercial permits for Tesla, Waymo and Uber-linked Aviari on August 20, 2026, but Zoox continued to take paid Las Vegas fares only through its own app.

    Original targetOutcome
  2. Hit

    Begin charging fares in Las Vegas

    Target Early 2026 · Resolved Aug 10, 2026

    Paid rides began August 10, 2026 across the Las Vegas Strip and downtown, with the entire local fleet of roughly 65 robotaxis moving to commercial service. It landed several months later than the early-2026 guidance Zoox gave in December 2025, gated on the NHTSA exemption that did not arrive until July 30, 2026.

    Original targetOutcome
  3. Hit

    Win federal approval to charge for rides in a purpose-built robotaxi

    Target 2026 · Resolved Jul 30, 2026

    NHTSA granted Zoox a temporary Part 555 exemption on July 30, 2026 from portions of eight FMVSS written around a human driver, effective July 31, 2026 through July 31, 2028 and capped at 2,500 vehicles a year. It is the first federal clearance for a paid commercial service in a vehicle with no steering wheel, pedals, or mirrors.

    Original targetOutcome

08

Timeline22

  1. 2026

    1. Opens a Denver winter training fleet, not a service market

      On Sept. 29, 2026 Zoox told CBS Colorado it is operating a small test fleet in Denver for a few months this winter to train driving technology on heavy rain and snow. Safety operators drive the vehicles manually and do not take passengers. A spokesperson said Zoox has no plans to expand service to Denver. Denverite on Oct. 2 restated those limits and said Zoox did not give a count, geofence or launch date.

    2. NTA Sub 5 still posts a time-limited 100-vehicle cap

      The certificate NTA still publishes as Zoox AVNC Permit 001 Sub 5, dated about August 28, 2026, cancels Sub 4 and authorizes compensated AVNC service in Nevada. Its restrictions clause still says Zoox may not use more than 100 fully autonomous vehicles, cumulatively, during the first 12 months after the original permit dated September 25, 2025. That 12-month term ended September 25, 2026. As of September 28, NTA had not posted a later certificate that removes the 100-vehicle language. TechCrunch reported September 17 that an NTA official and Zoox confirmed the cap would expire September 25.

    3. Las Vegas Strip crash with a Nissan sends a driver to hospital

      Nevada Highway Patrol said an autonomous Zoox vehicle and a silver Nissan Murano collided about 9:01 a.m. on Sept. 25 on southbound Las Vegas Boulevard at Four Seasons Drive. The Nissan driver was taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening, minor upper-body injuries. Lanes were closed then reopened. Fault has not been assigned; KTNV said it asked Zoox for a statement. The crash landed the same day the Nevada 100-vehicle cap was scheduled to expire.

    4. Grounds Atlanta test fleet after cabin-gas reports

      TechCrunch reported that Zoox grounded its Atlanta Highlander test fleet after August cabin-gas exposure reports and a worker OSHA complaint. Zoox said it identified 28 employees who rode in six vehicles with an unexplained odor, detected CO2, ceased test-vehicle operations in that market, and that purpose-built electric robotaxis are not affected. OSHA opened then closed an inquiry.

    5. Applies for a California DMV driverless deployment permit

      Reporting on September 11, 2026 said Zoox has applied for a California DMV driverless deployment permit, the first of two state gates needed to charge fares in San Francisco. VP of communications Carly Wyatt called it a couple-month process. The CPUC public permit list still shows only Drivered Pilot and Driverless Pilot authorizations, which bar collecting money, so San Francisco rides remain free. TechSpot also reported Zoox saying it completes about 10,000 US rides a week on a fleet of roughly 100 vehicles, versus Waymo's more than 500,000 rides a week.

    6. Starts supervised testing in Houston and San Diego

      Zoox said it is beginning supervised testing (human safety operators on board) in Houston and San Diego starting in September 2026, mapping streets ahead of eventual autonomous rides and taking on Houston's heat and heavy rain alongside San Diego's coastal fog and freeway corridors. The additions bring Zoox's US test-fleet footprint to 12 metro areas, though the company has not given a timeline for passenger service in either city; it still offers paid rides only in Las Vegas and free rides in San Francisco.

    7. OSHA data shows test drivers injured by hard braking and swerving

      Reporting published around August 27, 2026 based on OSHA filings found more than two dozen injuries - sprains, strains, whiplash and back pain, some sidelining workers for weeks or months - among Waymo and Zoox safety-test drivers in 2024 and 2025, caused by the vehicles' autonomous software braking hard or swerving suddenly. Incidents were concentrated in Los Angeles, Phoenix, and San Francisco. Zoox said it takes employee safety seriously and continues refining vehicle behavior based on the reports.

    8. Safety Case Framework published

      Two days after fares started, on August 12, 2026, Zoox published the methodology behind its safety conclusions rather than simply asserting that its vehicles are safe. The framework covers the driving software, the vehicle, and the people and processes running the fleet, and reduces the combined risk to a single predicted rate of collision, injury, and fatality events expressed as miles per event. It gives regulators and outside researchers something concrete to examine, though it reflects Zoox's own assumptions rather than any independent certification, and it landed weeks after the July fire-scene recall.

09

Funding

$2Bdisclosed across 2 rounds with a stated amount

  1. Venture rounds (private, pre-acquisition)

    2014-2018

    $800M

    Private venture investors across seed through Series B; last private valuation reported at $3.2B in July 2018

  2. Acquisition by Amazon

    June 2020

    $1.2B+

    Amazon.com, Inc. (100% owner); funded from Amazon's balance sheet since

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