Amazon has launched a self-driving car company, Zoox, on the streets of California. Specialists started working on the test mode of the robot taxi on February 11. According to the company, this is an important step towards the availability of self-driving cars. CNN reports on this.
"By announcing the first launch of a self-driving vehicle, we are advancing the industry. The trial run of the robot taxi created by Zoox on the streets of California brings us one step closer to the main goal - to make the self-driving taxi service available to people as soon as possible," Zoox CEO Aicha Evans said in a statement.
At this point, only Zoox employees can use the self-driving taxis, and in this way they will travel between the company's two office campuses. The Robotax can seat four people at a time and it travels at a speed of 35 miles per hour - or 56 km/h.
The startup company Zoox also claims that Robotax has already passed "rigorous" testing on private roads and received the necessary permission for movement from the California Department of Motor Vehicles. Self-driving taxis are well aware of traffic lights, pedestrians, cars and other potential obstacles that appear during transportation. Robotaxis also notices attempts to overtake other cars from the left and right sides and does not create any delays in this regard.
As for the company Zoox, it was founded in 2014 and was acquired by Amazon in 2020. The niche of the startup is manifested in the creation of a unique design of electric self-driving cars.
Experts say that most of the self-driving cars currently under development are similar to robotaxis. However, it is noteworthy that the vehicle created by Zoox retains the steering wheel and brake pedals despite the fact that the taxi is not driven by a human. In the car, the seats are facing each other to make it easier for passengers to communicate.
Let us remind you that in addition to Amazon, Google, General Motors and other technological and transportation companies have invested billions of dollars in the development of self-driving cars. The main condition is one - such cars must ensure the comfort and safety of passengers.
