Amazon’s Autonomous Car Hits Public Roads

Zoox, an Amazon subsidiary that develops autonomous vehicles, announced that it began testing its electric self-driving robotaxi with passengers on California public roads.

The company said in a statement that one of the vehicles recently completed a mile-long route transporting staff between Zoox buildings in Foster City. Zoox will continue to repeat the trip as a shuttle for employees while it awaits clearances for expansion.

Zoox’s electric vehicle (EV) does not possess a steering wheel or pedals, but it is capable of bidirectional driving, four-wheel steering, and can carry four passengers. A driverless testing permit from the California DMV states that the car can only operate at up to 35 miles per hour. The company claims the vehicle meets Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS).

The company revealed its robotaxi in 2020 with plans to offer autonomous rides in urban areas. However, a permit Zoox obtained in 2020 limited the company to testing only retrofitted gas-powered vehicles equipped with sensors on public roads.

Zoox executives did not disclose when the company would expand testing or its plans to launch a commercial robotaxi service. Zoox, which Amazon acquired in 2020, competes with other robotaxi startups, such as GM’s Cruise and Alphabet’s Waymo.

Source: www.thomasnet.com