However, AV policy expert Bryant Walker Smith rejected the notion that regulation has curtailed any robotaxi business in a post for Stanford Law School's Center for Internet and Society. Pointing to Waymo as an example, Walker Smith wrote, "AVs can be — and in fact are — lawfully deployed and regulated under existing federal statutory law."

Zoox 'toasters' heat up
Well before Tesla showed off its Robovan and Cybercab designs, Zoox in February secured important permits allowing it to carry members of the public in its autonomous vehicles in Foster City, California, this year.

Founded in 2014 and acquired by Amazon in 2020 in a deal worth around $1.3 billion, Zoox has developed a unique self-driving shuttle that features big side windows, inward-facing seats and no steering wheel, driver's seat or traditional windshield.