Zoox expands robotaxi mapping to Dallas and Phoenix

On Monday, Zoox announced it has begun mapping streets in Dallas, Texas, and Phoenix, Arizona. The autonomous vehicle company, which is owned by Amazon, is using Toyota Highlander SUVs to map the streets in preparation for autonomous vehicle testing. Once the company goes live in Dallas and Phoenix, Zoox will operate in 10 cities across the United States. This planned 10-city footprint will expand its operations alongside its existing presence in Atlanta, Austin, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, the San Francisco Bay Area, Seattle, and Washington, D.C.

To support these new markets, Zoox is opening local depots in Dallas and Phoenix, alongside a new command center in Scottsdale, Arizona. The company claims this expansion will create hundreds of new jobs. These facilities, which Zoox calls “fusion centers,” house fleet operations teams. These teams handle tasks like remote guidance and rider support, providing “real-time coordination to help vehicles navigate complex scenarios, complete missions, and support riders when needed.”

The expansion builds on Zoox’s existing testing programs. The company is currently offering rides to public passengers through its early-rider testing program in Las Vegas and San Francisco. In those markets, Zoox reports it has driven more than a million autonomous miles and ferried more than 300,000 passengers. The company plans to collect data in these new markets, which present different environments from the dense metros where its vehicles currently operate. However, the company is still waiting for federal approval of its purpose-built autonomous vehicle to launch a commercial robotaxi service.

Last August, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the US auto safety regulator, granted Zoox an exemption from the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards so the company could demonstrate its autonomous vehicles on public roads. However, the company is still waiting for further exemptions to operate commercially. Zoox will also need permission from local agencies that oversee ride-hailing operations, such as California’s Public Utilities Commission, to run its commercial service.

This expansion marks the first time Zoox will operate in Arizona, a state that has served as a testing ground for autonomous vehicles. Phoenix was where rival robotaxi service Waymo first launched its robotaxi service in 2020.

Why it matters

The expansion into Dallas and Phoenix allows Zoox to collect data in environments different from the dense metros where it currently operates, as it prepares to scale its robotaxi service to 10 U.S. cities.