Zoox, a subsidiary of Amazon, has recalled 105 robotaxis following an incident where one of the vehicles entered a dense smoke area at an ongoing fire site.

      Summary: Zoox has recalled 105 robotaxis following an incident in June where an unoccupied vehicle drove into smoke at a fire scene in Las Vegas. There were no injuries reported. This recall aligns with NHTSA's concerns regarding autonomous vehicles and their interaction with first responders.

      Amazon's Zoox has voluntarily recalled the software of 105 robotaxis after one of the vehicles drove into dense smoke at an emergency fire scene in Las Vegas on June 20. The smoke obstructed visibility, and the area had not been marked with traffic cones. The robotaxi entered the scene, made a sudden stop while trying to steer away, and then halted. A remote Zoox employee instructed the vehicle to reverse, after which first responders set up cones to secure the area. Fortunately, there were no injuries.

      Zoox informed the NHTSA about the recall on July 8, stating that this was "the only incident of this type" it has experienced. The recall follows NHTSA Administrator Jonathan Morrison's call for autonomous vehicle developers to address first responder interference by the end of July, pointing out a troubling trend of driverless cars entering emergency situations, obstructing ambulances, and failing to detect smoke, flares, or emergency lights.

      In the past year, Zoox has issued multiple recalls due to issues with lane crossings, predicting vehicle movement, and detecting pedestrians. Last month, Waymo recalled approximately 3,900 robotaxis after some entered closed construction areas on freeways. This illustrates a broader trend in the industry: while autonomous vehicles perform well in standard driving conditions, they struggle with the unpredictability of emergency situations. Additionally, Waymo's robotaxis stalled during fireworks on July 4, suggesting that edge cases in autonomous driving are more common than the industry might suggest.

      Zoox operates driverless vehicles without traditional controls like steering wheels or pedals in select areas of Las Vegas and San Francisco, with some service in Miami and Austin, and testing in six other U.S. cities. The company is working to compete with Waymo, which currently has about 4,000 autonomous vehicles operating nationwide. Amazon purchased Zoox for $1.3 billion in 2020.