Amazon-owned Zoox has unveiled its first self-driving robotaxi. The autonomous electric vehicle is a "carriage-style" car that can seat up to four passengers, has no steering wheel, can run for 16 hours on a single charge, and can travel at up to 75 miles per hour.
"We are reimagining and reinventing personal transportation, making it cleaner, safer, and just more enjoyable for everyone," said Zoox CEO Aicha Evans.
Evans elaborated on the passenger experience for the robotaxi, comparing it to the likes of Uber and Lyft — except for a driver behind the wheel, of course.
"We'll have an app that will be available to download, and you'll request a ride to go from point A to point B. You will get a little icon that the vehicle is coming. It will pull up, its doors will open up, you slide in, sit down, buckle up, press start, and then you will have a little screen where you can control your music, see the progress on your route as well as adjust the temperature," she explained.
The robotaxi is designed for city streets, meaning it must be cognizant of pedestrians, other vehicles, and even double-parked cars. While this may seem like a daunting challenge for a driverless vehicle, Evans said each vehicle's advanced sensors are up to the task.
"You have those sensor pods at all four corners giving us a 270-degree view from each corner," the CEO explained. "There are always three pods looking at something, so we can see behind and around things."
Evans continued to emphasize the importance of safety for the robotaxi, especially as Zoox tests its vehicles before deploying them in cities across the U.S. and globally. We [want to] have trust with the consumers and they feel comfortable taking this service and being transported."
Zoox was acquired in a deal with Amazon earlier this year for $1.3 billion. Evans stated that Zoox was confident in the industry giant because "this is a company that is long-term oriented. They've done things like this in many different industries." However, while many believed Zoox's autonomous vehicles would be used for deliveries under Amazon (Evans conceded that could be an option further down the road), the company's plan has never strayed from its intended path.
"Our focus is getting to market and really delight customers moving around cities."
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