Amazon-owned Zoox is expanding its autonomous vehicle footprint, with mapping and testing set to begin in Houston and San Diego later this month.
The company will first send retrofitted Toyota Highlanders equipped with cameras, lidar, and radar, with human safety drivers behind the wheel. Those vehicles will map local roads and gather data Zoox can use to prepare its autonomous driving system for each market’s conditions.
Zoox is expanding to Houston, TX and San Diego, CA!
— Zoox (@zoox) September 1, 2026
Our test fleet is heading to both cities later this month to map the streets ahead of autonomous rides, taking on Houston’s heat and heavy rain, and San Diego’s coastal fog and freeway corridors. 😶🌫️🌦️https://t.co/aw1S6iCCl6 pic.twitter.com/W3DdeIqoIv
With Houston and San Diego, Zoox will have a presence in 12 U.S. markets, including Seattle, Austin, Miami, Atlanta, Los Angeles, and Washington, D.C.
Zoox currently offers paid rides only in Las Vegas, while select riders can access free rides in San Francisco. The company has not provided a timeline for passenger service in Houston or San Diego.
Zoox announced its expansion on the same day Waymo began paid public robotaxi rides in three new markets.
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