Zoox halts Atlanta test fleet after workers report toxic gas exposure symptoms
Amazon-owned autonomous vehicle company Zoox has grounded its Atlanta test fleet after safety drivers reported symptoms consistent with exposure to carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide or hydrogen sulfide, prompting an OSHA inquiry.
Zoox has grounded its autonomous vehicle test fleet in Atlanta after safety drivers reported potential exposure last month to carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, or hydrogen sulfide gas inside the company's test vehicles. One worker filed a complaint with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), which opened an inquiry and directed Zoox to investigate.
According to a letter OSHA sent Zoox, as many as 40 workers may have been exposed, though Zoox says the actual number is lower. A contractor told TechCrunch that after one worker vomited and others reported symptoms, the company sent the crew back out in a different vehicle, where similar symptoms reportedly recurred later that day.
Jay Davis, the contractor who filed the OSHA complaint, said he told the company he felt it was wrong to be sent back into the field after reporting he was sick. Workers reported symptoms and unusual odors throughout much of August until August 22, when someone called 911 for a sick worker. The Atlanta facility has since operated at limited capacity, with test vehicles quarantined during the investigation. Zoox's fully electric robotaxis were not affected.
Possible causes
In its letter to OSHA, Zoox said it examined the vehicles for signs of CO2 and replaced their 12-volt batteries, since damaged batteries can release hydrogen sulfide gas with a distinctive "rotten egg" smell — an odor some employees said they noticed. The company identified 28 employees who had ridden in six vehicles with an unexplained odor; ten underwent voluntary medical evaluation, but only one medical report confirmed CO2 exposure. Zoox said it has not detected carbon monoxide, which is odorless, in its vehicles.
Unlike most robotaxi competitors — Waymo, Tesla, Avride and Motional, which use electric vehicles — Zoox's test fleet relies on modified Toyota Highlander SUVs with internal combustion engines, fitted with additional sensors and computing hardware. OSHA has since closed its inquiry, while Zoox said it continues to investigate the reported incidents and has kept the Atlanta test vehicles off the road in the meantime.
