Amazon's 'Zoox': World's First Fully Autonomous, Driverless Robotaxi Expands Further, To Launch In New Cities

The self-driving robotaxis developed by Amazon's daughter unit, known as Zoox, has started testing in Nevada, Austin, and Miami. This is one of the first deployments outside of its current test region in California.

It confirmed that it is "ramping things up a notch in our pursuit to provide the world with safe, comfortable robotaxi rides." We'll soon start testing in Austin and Miami, two renowned American cities.

Initial Commercial Launch

Zoox started taking rides on Foster City, California, public roads in February 2023. Ahead of a full-scale commercial launch, Zoox extended its public ride offerings to Las Vegas in June 2023. The first-ever autonomous vehicle was designed specifically for transportation without the need for human controls.

The first original route in Sin City, California, was a one-mile loop that went by Zoox's Las Vegas headquarters and could carry four people at a maximum speed of 35 mi/h (56.3 km/h).

The autonomous EVs can reach up to 75 mph (120.7 km/h), though. Reports at the time stated that employees of Zoox would conduct the first test rides, with plans to expand over the next few months.

On the software and hardware fronts for Zoox, notable advancements have also been made. In order to separate reflections from puddles and water droplets that could confuse the EV's LiDAR sensors, its perception system has been enhanced. Big data has allowed Zoox to improve its robotaxi perception system for driving in bad weather and at different times of day.

Under Investigation

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) launched a preliminary investigation in May in response to two reports of Zoox vehicles that braked suddenly, causing rear-end collisions with motorcycles that left people with slightly injured minors.

Amazon paid USD 1.3 billion (Rs 10,837 crore) to acquire Zoox in 2020, and the company announced on Wednesday that the public testing sites in Austin and Miami will be the fourth and fifth, respectively.