Zoox made history as the first purpose-built robotaxi with no manual controls to drive autonomously on public roads with passengers, after being granted a permit by the California Department of Motor Vehicles.
Join the discussion and reactions in the comment section of the initial Jeff Bezos's Twitter post.
Summary:
Zoox, a self-driving car company, has achieved a historic milestone with its robotaxi's first autonomous voyage on public roads with passengers, marking the first time a purpose-built robotaxi without manual controls has achieved this feat, following extensive testing and federal certification to operate on public roads.
Zoox's full-time employees will soon be able to experience autonomous rides between Foster City offices, and the company is a step closer to bringing its robotaxi to the general public, promising a future of seamless autonomous transportation in cities.
Key points:
- The robotaxis were built by Zoox, a self-driving startup that Amazon acquired for $1.3bn in 2020.
- The test involved a successful mile-long drive between two Zoox buildings in Foster City, California, as part of a no-cost employee shuttle service.
- The Zoox robotaxi is fully autonomous and does not have a steering wheel or pedals, and can carry up to four passengers.
- Amazon has not provided a timeline for a commercial launch of the service, which will require additional government clearances.
- Autonomous vehicle technology has been slower to roll out than expected, with Ford and Volkswagen shutting down their self-driving units and focusing on driver-assistance technology instead.
- Other companies still pursuing self-driving technology include General Motors' Cruise and Alphabet's Waymo.
- Zoox is still on track to reach 2,500 employees in 2023, up from just under 2,000 at the beginning of the year.
Full Feed: HERE (Twitter)
Make sure to check comment section of the post for even more qualified opinion on the matter!
Might be useful:
Reference:
- https://twitter.com/JeffBezos/status/1625224820786094080?s=20
- https://zoox.com/journal/publicroads/
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waymo#:~:text=Waymo%20LLC%2C%20formerly%20known%20as,the%20parent%20company%20of%20Google.
- https://builtin.com/transportation-tech/self-driving-car-companies
- https://auve.tech/auve-tech-launched-a-new-generation-self-driving-vehicle-mica/
- https://app.fff.vc/post/303053820