Zoox, the self-driving company owned by Amazon, is making its Los Angeles debut. On Tuesday, the company said it’s expanding its test fleet to Southern California, meaning riders there will eventually be able to hail a ride in one of its pod-like robotaxis, which don’t have a steering wheel, pedals or driver’s seat.
Los Angeles joins six other locations where Zoox is testing its self-driving technology: the San Francisco Bay Area, Las Vegas, Seattle, Miami and Austin, Texas. In those areas, Zoox’s test fleet of retrofitted Toyota Highlander hybrids operates with safety drivers behind the wheel. The Highlanders map areas and ensure software is ready for autonomous rides on Zoox’s own “purpose-built” robotaxis.
Zoox will initially deploy a small number of retrofitted test fleet vehicles in the LA metro area to manually collect data before rolling out autonomous driving there later this summer, the company says.
“There are a variety of driving conditions, potential roadwork, city events, and other map changes we want to learn about before expanding to other neighborhoods,” Zoox said in a blog post. “Our autonomous driving system adapts to the distinct conditions of the city, beginning within a specific geofence — the area where the robotaxi operates. Once we have met the safety requirements in that area, the geofence will expand.”
Zoox uses retrofitted Toyota Highlander hybrids, with a human behind the wheel, to ensure its autonomous technology is ready for a fully driverless vehicle.
This expansion comes as Zoox prepares to open up its fully autonomous vehicles to riders in Las Vegas and San Francisco later this year. Along with its test fleet, Zoox’s boxy purpose-built robotaxis, which are symmetrical, bidirectional and very futuristic-looking, have been roaming the streets of Las Vegas, San Francisco and Foster City, California, in anticipation of a commercial launch.
Currently, only Zoox employees can hitch a ride, but I had the opportunity to tag along on an autonomous drive in Las Vegas last year. I was struck by how exceptionally ordinary the experience felt. (You can check out my ride along in the video below.)
Watch this: This Robotaxi Looks and Drives Like No Car You’ve Ever Seen Before
Zoox will be sharing the spotlight with another self-driving company in Los Angeles: Waymo, which is owned by Google’s parent Alphabet. Waymo is currently the leader in the self-driving space, and operates fully autonomous rides for the general public in cities including San Francisco, Phoenix and Austin, Texas. The company began offering its service to select riders in Los Angeles earlier last year, before opening up to everyone in November. Waymo is slated to expand into cities like Atlanta, Miami and Washington, DC.
The self-driving scene is small but competitive, with Zoox and Waymo being the biggest names in the game. Tesla also unveiled its long-awaited Robotaxi in October, and has a lofty goal of launching a self-driving service in Austin, Texas, this summer. Startups like Avride, Nuro and May Mobility have also thrown their hats into the ring.
Others have dropped out of the race, largely due to high costs and regulatory hurdles. Late last year, General Motors said it would no longer fund its Cruise robotaxi venture, instead pivoting to advanced driver assistance technology. And even Apple axed its plans to develop a self-driving car.
For Zoox, adding traffic-congested Los Angeles to its roster will almost certainly involve bumps in the road. But the company notes that’s part of the journey, as it “identifies routes that present challenging features and scenarios.” That can certainly be said of its rollout in San Francisco’s SoMa neighborhood late last year, an area teeming with pedestrians, vehicles, bikers and buses — as well as Waymo’s self-driving vehicles. And now, the City of Angels will present Zoox with its next big opportunity — and challenge.