Zoox Inc. on Friday received a permit from California state authorities to test its self-driving vehicles without an in-car backup driver, marking a win for Amazon.com Inc., which acquired the startup in June.
The new permit allows Zoox to test two autonomous vehicles without a driver behind the wheel on specified streets near its Foster City headquarters, the state’s Department of Motor Vehicles said in a statement.
Amazon has been aggressively expanding into self-driving technology, with the company also participating in self-driving car startup Aurora Innovation Inc.’s $530 million funding round early last year.
Other companies who already hold a permit include Alphabet Inc.’s Waymo, Chinese startup AutoX and Nuro Inc.