Amazon-owned Zoox’s 100-robotaxi limit in Nevada is about to disappear

4:08 PM PDT · September 17, 2026

A regulatory cap limiting Zoox to 100 robotaxis in Nevada is set to expire this month, clearing the way for the Amazon-owned company to expand its commercial fleet of custom-built robotaxis in Las Vegas just as competition heats up.

The Nevada Transportation Authority (NTA) permit that imposed the 100-vehicle cap is set to expire September 25, TechCrunch has learned. An NTA official and a Zoox spokesperson confirmed the change, which is also outlined in an updated permit.

This doesn’t mean Las Vegas is about to be inundated with hundreds of Zoox robotaxis. But it does give Zoox more freedom to grow — and at a critical moment. Waymo recently launched a commercial service in Las Vegas, while Tesla and Uber have secured their own driverless ride-hailing permits.

Today, Zoox has about 100 custom-built robotaxis — cube-like vehicles that lack steering wheels and pedals — spread across four U.S. cities, including Austin and Miami. The bulk of the fleet is in Las Vegas and San Francisco. Las Vegas remains the only city where Zoox is charging for rides. Zoox must still obtain another permit from California regulators before it can charge for passengers there.

Zoox began charging for robotaxi rides in Las Vegas last month after receiving a temporary exemption from certain federal motor vehicle safety standards from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The commercial exemption allows Zoox to deploy up to 2,500 vehicles per year for the next two years.

Robotaxi Tracker estimates Zoox has more than 30 vehicles operating in Las Vegas. A Zoox spokesperson declined to specify fleet size but said the company plans to steadily increase its robotaxi fleet over the next several months “to meet the high demand in Las Vegas and other markets.”

In August, the NTA approved three permits allowing Tesla, Uber, and Waymo to operate commercial robotaxi services in Clark County. Together, the permits could bring up to 7,000 robotaxis to the area over the next 12 months. Waymo opened its Las Vegas service earlier in September with dozens of Ojai minivan robotaxis.