Zoox, an Amazon-owned autonomous vehicle company, has begun testing its robotaxi in Los Angeles. It has deployed a small fleet of modernized test vehicles throughout the city to map and collect data. This could eventually lead to paid rides for consumers.
Initially, the company is sending out Toyota Highlander cars with manual controls. They are equipped with Zoox self-driving technology and will collect mapping data. Wider autonomous testing will begin in Los Angeles this summer. This will happen after Highlanders has collected enough data on “driving conditions, potential road works, city events” and other potential surprises.
After that, it will send the actual robot taxis, which operate without a steering wheel or pedals. The vehicles are already being tested in several cities, but again, not with commercial passengers. These are Foster City, San Francisco, and Las Vegas.
Zoox says it should start offering public rides in Las Vegas and San Francisco later this year. The company is also testing manned robotaxis in Miami, Austin, and Seattle. The Highlander is driven by a human operator who is responsible for human safety.
This expansion comes just weeks after the company issued a software recall for 258 of its vehicles due to issues with unexpectedly harsh braking in the driving system. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has received two incident reports involving motorcycles that crashed into the back of Zoox cars due to such sudden braking.
Waymo’s competitor is the only autonomous vehicle company that currently offers paid rides. The Alphabet-owned company provides this service in several cities, including San Francisco, Phoenix, and Austin. In the next two years, it plans to expand its operations to Atlanta, Miami, and Washington, D.C.
