Amazon’s Zoox begins testing robotaxis in San Francisco, Las Vegas Strip
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Zoox (ZOOX), Amazon’s (NASDAQ:AMZN) autonomous vehicle unit, has begun testing its robotaxis in San Francisco’s SoMa neighborhood and expanded its geofence to include the Las Vegas Strip and surrounding areas.
During the testing phase, rides will only be available to Zoox (ZOOX) employees and not to the public.
San Francisco is the third city for the company’s robotaxi operations, following Foster City, California and Las Vegas.
Zoox (ZOOX) is targeting to open its robotaxi service to the public next year through an early rider program. The select riders will ride with Zoox for free and provide feedback.
San Francisco has hosted robotaxis from Alphabet’s (GOOG) (GOOGL) Waymo and GM’s (GM) Cruise. But Zoox (ZOOX) robotaxis are different, as they are built without traditional manual controls.
As for its rivals, Waymo just launched its robotaxi service for all in Los Angeles, ditching its waitlist that nearly 300,000 people signed up for.
Cruise’s California license remains suspended amid regulatory scrutiny, while Tesla (TSLA) is planning to launch its own robotaxi called Cybercab before 2027.