This Sept. 6, 2012, file photo, shows the Amazon logo in Santa Monica, Calif. Amazon said Friday, June 26, 2020, that it is buying self-driving technology company Zoox, which envisions a future where people will request a ride on their phones and a car will drive up without a driver. (AP Photo/Reed Saxon, File)
An autonomous vehicle company acquired this year by Amazon has unveiled a four-person “robo-taxi," a compact, multidirectional vehicle designed for dense, urban environments.
The carriage-style interior of the vehicle produced by Zoox Inc. has two benches that face each other. There is no steering wheel. It measures just under 12 feet long, about a foot shorter than a standard Mini Cooper.
It is among the first vehicles with bidirectional capabilities and four-wheel steering, allowing for better maneuverability. It has a top speed of 75 miles per hour.
The vehicle is being tested in the company's base of Foster City, California, as well as Las Vegas and San Francisco, Zoox said Monday.
Zoox, based Foster City in Silicon Valley, was founded in 2014 and acquired by Amazon in June. It operates as an independent subsidiary at Amazon.
Loy Gordon, owner of Neir's Tavern, joined Cheddar News to discuss how he saved the establishment three times and why he did so. Gordon also showed Cheddar News some specialty drinks that patrons can enjoy.
To celebrate Black-Owned Business Month, Cheddar News visited Neir's Tavern in Queens, one of the city's oldest taverns where the Martin Scorsese film "Goodfellas" was filmed. Loy Gordon, the bar's owner, discussed the history behind the establishment.
