Amazon-owned Zoox won U.S. approval Thursday to begin charging passengers for rides in its steering-wheel-free robotaxis, marking the first time federal regulators have granted a purpose-built autonomous vehicle a commercial exemption from safety rules written for human-driven cars. NHTSA Administrator Jonathan Morrison said the agency determined Zoox's vehicle is as safe as an equivalent car meeting the federal standards being waived. Zoox's electric, carriage-style vehicle has two rows of inward-facing seats and a top speed of 75 miles per hour. Zoox CEO Aicha Evans called the approval "an important milestone" for the company and the broader autonomous vehicle industry, saying it represents "the first-ever commercial exemption for a purpose-built robotaxi from NHTSA." NHTSA also closed a separate investigation into how Zoox certified its robotaxis, which had been running since March 2023.