Zoox Begins Autonomous Testing in Dallas and Phoenix

Zoox, Amazon’s self-driving subsidiary, announced it will expand testing of its autonomous vehicles to Dallas and Phoenix. To begin, the company will deploy retrofitted Toyota Highlander SUVs with human safety drivers to map local roads and gather real-world data before introducing purpose-built robotaxis.

The choice of cities isn’t accidental. Phoenix presents challenges like extreme heat, dust and high-speed thoroughfares that can stress sensor and battery systems. Dallas brings sprawling roads and more variable weather conditions than Zoox’s existing markets. Testing in these environments should give the company insights into how its hardware and software handle conditions they haven’t yet faced at scale.

Zoox is also opening depots in both cities and establishing a command hub in Scottsdale, Arizona. That hub will support fleet operations, remote guidance and rider assistance—functions that help bridge on-the-ground testing and customer-facing services. With the new additions, Zoox’s operational map now covers ten U.S. cities, including Las Vegas, San Francisco, Seattle, Austin, Miami, Los Angeles, Atlanta and Washington, D.C.

The expansion comes amid intensifying competition in the robotaxi space. Waymo has been rapidly growing its service areas, and Tesla’s robotaxi efforts—though more limited geographically—have also entered public streets. Regulators are paying close attention: U.S. agencies and industry leaders, including CEOs from major AV firms, are slated to discuss safety and oversight publicly.

Zoox points to more than one million autonomous miles driven and over 300,000 riders served to date as evidence of progress. Testing in Dallas and Phoenix will stress technical limits and operational practices, helping the company refine its systems as it moves from retrofitted test vehicles toward rolling out its purpose-built robotaxis.