Zoox, an Amazon company, claimed on Monday that its autonomous car had taken to the streets of California, carrying passengers without any manual supervision. The electric car, which lacked a steering wheel and pedal, shuttled between Zoox’s two main Foster City buildings.
“On February 11, 2023, Zoox conducted the first run of its employee shuttle service in Foster City, California, marking the first time in history a purpose-built autonomous robotaxi without traditional driving controls carried passengers on open public roads,” said the company in a statement.
“This is an amazing milestone for Zoox and the autonomous vehicle industry as a whole,” added CEO Aicha Evans.
After getting approval from the California Department of Motor Vehicles last week, the robotaxi startup began testing. It can currently only test the car on a one-mile path between its office buildings at speeds of no more than 35 miles per hour.
In the coming spring, the company hopes to broaden its testing scope by launching a shuttle service for its employees.
“In compliance with the California DMV permit, Zoox will first provide its service to its employees. As the company continues to advance its progress and secure additional government clearances, it will expand its service to the general public.”
Zoox is yet to disclose how many vehicles it has developed for its test fleet
While Zoox has yet to reveal how many vehicles it has produced for its test fleet, industry insiders estimate that the Amazon-owned company has dozens, if not hundreds, of vehicles.
The car’s public release remains a long way off, but the company, which was started nine years ago, is confident that it will make a breakthrough.
Amazon paid an undisclosed sum for Zoox in 2020 in order to enter the electric vehicle market.
Zoox is designing a bidirectional car with no steering wheel or discernible front or back end, unlike other conventional EVs. It enables the car to go in either direction comfortably.
Zoox’s competitors include General Motors Co.’s Cruise and Alphabet’s Waymo, all of which are vying to dominate the robotaxi market.
