Amazon-owned Zoox has announced that it has begun testing its autonomous taxi, which does not have any steering wheels or pedals, on public roads for the first time.
Zoox, the autonomous vehicle company owned by Amazon, announced that its driverless vehicle, which draws attention with its design resembling a toaster, has begun to be tested in public areas in California. The company described this milestone as “for the first time in history, autonomous driving of a purpose-built robot taxi with passengers.”
Amazon’s Robotaxis is on the Road
Zoox is just one of dozens of companies currently testing autonomous vehicles on public roads in the Golden State. On the other hand, although the company lags behind its competitors in the commercialization race, it manages to attract attention with a revolutionary product that lacks traditional controls and cannot be defined as a “car” in the modern sense of the word.
For now, Zoox’s robotaxis can hit the roads on weekends and during daylight hours. At the same time, it is forbidden to go out on the roads in bad weather conditions. Despite these restrictions, the value of testing and the fact that it is legally allowed to be tested in public means a lot.
But Zoox is not unrivaled in the field of robotaxis. Cruise’s Origin vehicle, a wholly owned subsidiary of General Motors, is expected to go into mass production later this year. Of course, both companies must obtain the necessary permits for mass production. On the other hand, Zoox and Origin are quite similar in structure and design. Both are completely driverless. However, unmanned robotaxes are expected to eliminate the problems experienced in traffic, waiting and other existing taxis.
