A Zoox autonomous robotaxi in San Francisco, California, USA, on Wednesday, December 4, 2024.
David Paul Morris | Bloomberg | fake images
AmazonZoox’s self-driving unit plans to begin testing its self-driving vehicles in Dallas and Phoenix, the company announced Monday.
To start, Zoox will deploy a “small number” of its toyota Highlander SUV, with a human safety driver behind the wheel, to map areas before introducing its toaster-shaped robotaxis, the company said.
Dallas and Phoenix will allow Zoox to expose its technology to diverse and challenging weather conditions, as well as larger streets, compared to the dense metropolitan areas it has been testing in so far.
“In Phoenix, we have the opportunity to test the performance of our sensor and battery against extreme heat and dust on high-speed roads,” Zoox wrote in a blog post. “Dallas provides a valuable testing ground to hone our AI against diverse weather conditions and complex road networks.”
Zoox said it has served more than 300,000 users since launching in Las Vegas and San Francisco.
The expansion gives Zoox’s fleet a presence in 10 US markets. Last November, Zoox began offering free rides in parts of San Francisco, a few months after it first opened its robotaxi service to the public in Las Vegas.
It is also testing its autonomous technology in Seattle, Austin, Miami, Los Angeles, Atlanta and Washington, DC.
Amazon acquired Zoox for $1.3 billion in 2020. Since then, it has slowly ramped up testing in more parts of the U.S. Zoox has also sought to expand its robotaxi manufacturing, opening a 220,000-square-foot factory in the San Francisco Bay area, where it aims to produce 10,000 vehicles a year once fully operational.
The expansion comes as Amazon tries to compete with Alphabet-owned by Waymo, which dominates the autonomous vehicle market in the US, as well as tesla. Chinese robotaxi developers including Baidu-owned by Apollo Go, Pony.ai and we rideThey have also continued to gain market share in China.
As part of Monday’s announcement, Zoox said it also plans to open a new “fusion center” in Scottsdale, Arizona, referring to its staff who provide teleguidance, mission control and passenger support for its fleet.
The company also operates command centers in Las Vegas and the San Francisco Bay Area.
