After months of controlled testing in Las Vegas, Amazon has officially launched its driverless Zoox robotaxi service to the general public.
Zoox will initially offer free rides, but once regulatory approvals are finalized, Zoox will start charging fees similar to other taxi services.
Waymo is currently dominating the self-driving robotaxi race in the U.S., using technology developed by Google and traditional vehicles that have been retrofitted with cameras and sensors.
Like Waymo, Zoox is a fully-autonomous electric robotaxi that is designed to provide a commercial ride-hailing service.
The difference is that Zoox is not a retrofitted vehicle, but a purpose-built vehicle that some have called a “toaster on wheels.” Zoox can only carry passengers, with no driver’s seat, steering wheel, or pedals.
Instead, the interior of a Zoox has two bench seats with the passengers facing each other, and large windows for sight-seeing.
Amazon said Zoox will only offer pick-ups and drop-offs at a few locations on the Strip, including Resorts World Las Vegas, AREA15, Topgolf, New York-New York, and Luxor, but they plan to expand.
Amazon is also planning on expanding Zoox to other cities across the U.S., including Austin, Miami, Los Angeles, Atlanta, and Seattle. This will require dramatically expanding their fleet of robotaxis, which is currently limited to about 50 vehicles in Las Vegas and San Francisco.
Source: Amazon’s Zoox jumps into U.S. robotaxi race with Las Vegas launch