Amazon bringing 'robotaxi' road test to two new cities
Amazon is geographically expanding its pilot of an autonomous ride-hailing platform.
The e-tail giant’s autonomous vehicle subsidiary Zoox, which it purchased for a reported $1.2 billion-plus in June 2020, is building on its successful 2023 pilot of a purpose-built self-driving robotaxi on open public roads in Foster City, Calif. with no manual controls or human safety driver.
Since that initial pilot in Foster City, Calif., Zoox has continued testing and developing its robotaxi technology in Foster City as well as in Las Vegas. As it prepares to offer autonomous robotaxi rides to consumers later in 2024, Zoox will soon begin testing in two new U.S. markets: Austin and Miami.
Austin and Miami will mark the fourth and fifth public testing locations for Zoox. The company started in its home city of San Francisco in 2018, expanded testing to Las Vegas in 2019, and then moved to Seattle in 2021. This latest expansion — to a new coast, and two new states — marks a significant step forward.
After conducting a brief mapping mission, Zoox says it will deploy its retrofitted Toyota Highlander test fleet, equipped with safety drivers, in small areas near the business and entertainment districts of the two cities.
To run a robotaxi road test, Zoox identifies specific pre-planned routes that offer the most challenging driving features and scenarios, while also testing randomly selected point-to-point routes within a defined geofence. The company always starts with a focused testing area, expanding methodically as its AI gets more familiar with the unique conditions in each city.
As Zoox continues growing its robotaxi pilot, it has also been expanding its Las Vegas geofence while increasing automated vehicles’ driving speeds and ability to operate in light rain and at night.
According to Zoox, both of its new pilot cities offer unique test conditions. Austin has horizontal traffic lights, traffic lights hanging on wires, railway crossings, and thunderstorms, while Miami has traffic lights that are suspended diagonally across intersections.
Zoox is not yet deploying its purpose-built robotaxi or offering public rides in Austin or Miami. Target cities for its first commercial markets remain Las Vegas and San Francisco. However, the company says it is exploring several cities for future commercial offerings after initial launch.
"We’re laying the foundations for our autonomous ride-hailing service in new cities across the U.S.," said Ron Thaniel, senior director, policy and regulatory affairs, Zoox. "Austin and Miami offer key learning opportunities that will support the continued growth and refinement of our testing and service."