Zoox updates robotaxi interior as NHTSA approval remains pending
▼ Summary
– Zoox upgraded its robotaxi’s interior with more padding, ergonomic seats, lighter colors, and larger cupholders, based on rider feedback from its free ride program.
– Exterior updates include relocated reflectors for better visibility and a new speaker and microphone for two-way audio between the vehicle, riders, and support staff.
– Zoox’s Hayward factory can now produce up to 100 vehicles per week, preparing for commercial service that could launch later this year.
– The company awaits NHTSA approval for a commercial exemption to operate up to 2,500 robotaxis without steering wheels or pedals, with a ruling pending after a public comment period.
– Zoox currently offers free rides in four cities and has a partnership with Uber, but its fleet of 50 vehicles is far smaller than Waymo’s, which delivers over 500,000 paid rides weekly.
Amazon’s autonomous vehicle division, Zoox, has rolled out a series of design refinements to its bespoke robotaxi, focusing on interior comfort and external communication as it awaits a pivotal regulatory decision from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The updated vehicle, which still lacks a steering wheel, pedals, or conventional driver controls, incorporates feedback from riders in the company’s free ride program and aligns with the ramp-up of volume production at its Hayward, California factory.
The fundamental architecture of the vehicle remains unchanged: a bidirectional electric pod with four-wheel steering, 40 cameras, radars, lidars, and infrared sensors, capable of carrying four passengers at speeds up to 75 miles per hour. However, Zoox has overhauled nearly every surface a passenger touches.
Inside, the company has introduced more padding and ergonomic contours to seats and headrests, switching to a lighter color palette featuring aloe green seating with stone grey flooring and trim. Zoox says this lighter interior fosters a calmer atmosphere while providing contrast that makes it easier to spot forgotten personal items like phones. Additional tweaks include fluting on the wireless charging pad to keep devices in place, larger cupholders, and a more visible touchscreen interface.
Externally, Zoox has relocated its bidirectional reflectors for improved visibility and added a new speaker and microphone to the door interface, enabling two-way audio. The company says these upgrades enhance communication between the vehicle and riders, other road users, and between Zoox Support and first responders.
Chris Stoffel, director of robot industrial design and studio engineering at Zoox, described the goal as a “simple elevated interior design that doesn’t demand a rider’s attention like so many of the features found in today’s passenger cars.” The updates are engineered for a vehicle that will shuttle thousands of riders, not one that sits in a showroom.
Production is central to the announcement. Zoox opened a 220,000-square-foot factory in Hayward last year, designed to eventually produce 10,000 robotaxis annually. The company says it can now manufacture up to 100 vehicles per week, preparing for the volume needed if commercial service launches later this year.
That launch depends on a single decision from NHTSA. Zoox has requested a commercial exemption to operate its robotaxi without standard controls mandated by federal law. NHTSA granted a demonstration exemption in August 2025, allowing public road testing, and published a request for public comment on the commercial exemption in March 2026. The comment period has closed, and Zoox is now awaiting a ruling.
If approved, the exemption would permit Zoox to deploy up to 2,500 vehicles without steering wheels, mirrors, or traditional braking systems. If denied or delayed, the upgrades announced Wednesday become improvements to a free ride program with no revenue attached.
For now, Zoox is testing and offering free rides in four cities: Austin, San Francisco, Las Vegas, and Miami. The company also struck a partnership with Uber in March to make its robotaxis available through the Uber app in Las Vegas this summer, its first integration with a third-party ride-hailing platform.
Competitive pressure is mounting. Waymo recently launched its purpose-built Ojai robotaxi, which cuts sensor count by 42 percent and costs roughly $75,000 less per unit than the Jaguar it replaced. Waymo delivers more than 500,000 paid rides per week across 10 US cities and is targeting one million weekly by year-end.
Zoox’s fleet is far smaller, with roughly 50 vehicles across its operating cities. The gap is not just one of fleet size but of commercial maturity: Waymo has been charging riders for years, while Zoox has yet to collect a single fare.
The design refresh is incremental, not transformational. Zoox is not unveiling a new vehicle but refining one that has been in testing since 2020. But the timing tells the real story: these are the kinds of changes a company makes when it expects to start charging riders and scaling production, not when it is still experimenting. Everything now depends on whether NHTSA agrees.
(Source: The Next Web)
