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."
Nvidia on Wednesday became the first public company to reach a market capitalization of $5 trillion. The ravenous appetite for the Silicon Valley company’s chips is the main reason that the company’s stock price has increased so rapidly since early 2023.
Chris Williamson, Chief Business Economist at S&P Global, breaks down September’s CPI print and inflation trends, explaining what it means for markets.
A big-screen adaptation of the anime “Chainsaw Man” has topped the North American box office, beating a Springsteen biopic and “Black Phone 2.” The movie earned $17.25 million in the U.S. and Canada this weekend. “Black Phone 2” fell to second place with $13 million. Two new releases, the rom-com “Regretting You” and “Springsteen — Deliver Me From Nowhere,” earned $12.85 million and $9.1 million, respectively. “Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc” is based on the manga series about a demon hunter. It's another win for Sony-owned Crunchyroll, which also released a “Demon Slayer” film last month that debuted to a record $70 million.
The Federal Aviation Administration says flights departing for Los Angeles International Airport were halted briefly due to a staffing shortage at a Southern California air traffic facility. The FAA issued a temporary ground stop at one of the world’s busiest airports on Sunday morning soon after U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy predicted that travelers would see more flights delayed as the nation’s air traffic controllers work without pay during the federal government shutdown. The hold on planes taking off for LAX lasted an hour and 45 minutes and didn't appear to cause continued problems. The FAA said staffing shortages also delayed planes headed to Washington, Chicago and Newark, New Jersey on Sunday.
Boeing workers at three Midwest plants where military aircraft and weapons are developed have voted to reject the company’s latest contract offer and to continue a strike that started almost three months ago. The strike by about 3,200 machinists at the plants in the Missouri cities of St. Louis and St. Charles, and in Mascoutah, Illinois, is smaller in scale than a walkout last year by 33,000 Boeing workers who assemble commercial jetliners. The president of the International Association of Machinists says Sunday's outcome shows Boeing hasn't adequately addressed wages and retirement benefits. Boeing says Sunday's vote was close with 51% of union members opposing the revised offer.
The stunning indictment that led to the arrest of more than 30 people — including Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier and other NBA figures — has drawn new scrutiny of the booming business of sports betting in the U.S. The multibillion-dollar industry has made it easy for sports fans — and even some players — to wager on everything from the outcome of games to that of a single play with just a few taps of a cellphone. But regulating the rapidly-growing industry has proven to be a challenge. Professional sports leagues’ own role in promoting gambling has also raised eyebrows.
