Zoox's "robotaxis ," built from scratch as autonomous vehicles without the need to retrofit existing vehicles to be able to drive without a driver, are devoid of a steering wheel and pedals and provide shelter for four passengers, who sit inside the car facing each other.
Autonomous driving, a technology that is struggling to take off
“Getting a vehicle on a public road and validating our approach to meet all the necessary requirements, including regulatory ones, is a big step that we wouldn’t have taken if we weren’t internally contemplating its eventual commercial introduction,” explains Aicha Evans, CEO of Zoox.
Evans has avoided commenting on the timeline used by the Amazon subsidiary for the commercial launch of its "robotaxis" , which will in any case have to have the approval of the regulatory authorities.
Despite Silicon Valley promising for years to revolutionize the finland number data automotive industry with autonomous driving, the development of self-driving cars is taking longer than expected and the technology lurking within them is proving to be extraordinarily complex to tame.
Last fall, Ford and Volkswagen announced their intention to close the doors on their Argo AI autonomous driving unit in order to concentrate on technology focused on driver assistance, since this provides much more immediate results.
However, fears of a possible global recession and weak demand for autonomous driving services have led many automotive companies and technology giants to cut staff in recent months.
Zoox's chief technology officer, Jesse Levinson, says the company has been cautious in accelerating its growth , although the Amazon subsidiary expects to reach 2,500 employees