Zoox Begins Robotaxi Testing in Houston

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Many people just think about Waymo and Tesla when they think about the robotaxi race or competition in the United States. However, there’s also Zoox, and it has been doing a lot this year. It’s been growing its user base faster than anyone, it’s launched a new robotaxi model, it was the first to get approval for paid robotaxi service without human controls, and it began paid robotaxi service last month (after years of unpaid service while it waited for regulatory approval).

Now, we also have news the company is about to start robotaxi testing in Houston, Texas. The testing is supposed to begin later this month. However, rather than using its own clearly unique and identifiable vehicles, Zoox will initially be testing with SUVs that it retrofits and with human safety drivers on board.

The company also already has plans for a charging and maintenance depot in Space City.

“Houston is our most sprawling market to date,” Zoox noted in its announcement about this new city entry. The company added that Houston has “complex service-road networks, unique merging scenarios,” and extreme weather (high heat, heavy rain, and even flooding). This makes it a bigger challenge than where Zoox has been operating so far.

Speaking of that, Zoox is already in 11 other markets, including Atlanta, Austin, Dallas, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, Phoenix, San Francisco Bay Area, San Diego, Seattle, and Washington, DC.

• Source: https://cleantechnica.com/2026/09/06/zoox-begins-robotaxi-testing-in-houston/