Amazon's Zoox to Launch Robotaxi in Austin and Miami, Commercialization Still Awaits Approval

On Tuesday, March 24, local time, Amazon’s autonomous vehicle company Zoox announced that it is preparing to launch its Robotaxi service to the public later this year in Austin, Texas, and Miami, Florida.

It is reported that Zoox will soon deploy its driverless taxis for testing within “limited areas” in these two cities. Initially, passengers will be limited to Zoox employees and their family and friends. Later, the company will launch the “Explorer Program,” allowing the public to join a waitlist and experience the ride service.

In September last year, Zoox officially launched its Robotaxi service, with Las Vegas as the first city. The company stated at the time that it would expand the Robotaxi service to cities such as San Francisco, Austin, and Miami.

Unlike competitors like Tesla, Waymo under Google, and Uber, Zoox’s vehicles are not modified from existing manual driving cars but are built from scratch, specifically designed for autonomous taxi services.

Zoox’s vehicles do not have a steering wheel. The seats are arranged in a long, facing configuration rather than all facing forward. This is partly because Zoox vehicles do not have a true front or back. The vehicles can move forward or backward at any time, and indicator lights can automatically switch between headlights or brake lights as needed. Therefore, Zoox’s vehicles are also considered to resemble toasters.

According to Zoox, as of March this year, they have served 350,000 passengers, and about 500,000 people have joined the waitlist.

As part of Tuesday’s announcement, Zoox also revealed plans to expand its service areas in San Francisco and Las Vegas.

In San Francisco, Zoox plans to focus on high-density, high-demand areas such as Marina, Chinatown, and Embarcadero; in Las Vegas, the coverage will include more hotels and entertainment destinations.

Currently, Zoox is testing its autonomous driving technology in 10 U.S. cities.

Zoox CEO Aicha Evans stated that their Robotaxi will soon be operational in Atlanta and Los Angeles.

The company said that with the expansion of services in Las Vegas and San Francisco, as well as testing in Austin and Miami, the number of Robotaxis on public roads will reach 100.

Commercialization Still Awaiting Regulatory Approval

The biggest obstacle Zoox currently faces is launching paid services and producing enough vehicles to meet demand. The company is waiting for approval from the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to officially begin paid operations of its Robotaxi service.

NHTSA will announce its decision on Zoox’s proposal after a 30-day public comment period, which started on March 11.

Evans said, “We are ready to start charging, especially in Las Vegas — clearly, we have been operating there for a long time.”

Earlier this month, Zoox partnered with Uber to provide Robotaxi services in Las Vegas through Uber’s ride-hailing app starting this summer.

Uber has also partnered with several Robotaxi companies, including Waymo, to secure its position in the expanding autonomous mobility market.

Waymo operates about 2,500 driverless taxis in multiple U.S. cities and is accelerating its expansion. Electric vehicle giant Tesla has also launched a small-scale Robotaxi service in Austin, Texas, with CEO Elon Musk promising rapid expansion this year.

(Source: Cailian Press)