From last week. I’m curious to see how it goes.
Amazon’s self-driving unit Zoox plans to start testing its autonomous vehicles in Dallas and Phoenix, the company announced Monday.
To start, Zoox will deploy a “small number” of its retrofitted Toyota Highlander SUVs, with a human safety driver behind the wheel, to map the areas before it introduces its toaster-shaped robotaxis, the company said.
Dallas and Phoenix will allow Zoox to expose its technology to diverse and challenging weather conditions, as well as more sprawling streets, compared with the dense metro areas it’s been testing in so far.
“In Phoenix, we have the opportunity to test our sensor and battery performance against extreme heat and dust on high-speed roads,” Zoox wrote in a blog post. “Dallas provides a valuable testing ground to refine our [artificial intelligence] against diverse weather and complex road networks.”
Zoox said it has served more than 300,000 riders since its launch in Las Vegas and San Francisco.
The expansion gives Zoox’s fleet a presence in 10 U.S. markets. Last November, Zoox began giving free rides in parts of San Francisco, a few months after it opened up its robotaxi service to the public for the first time in Las Vegas.
It’s also testing its autonomous technology in Seattle, Austin, Texas, Miami, Los Angeles, Atlanta and Washington, D.C.
Zoox has been testing in Austin for almost a year. I’m not sure what the schedule is there, but if that’s how slowly they’re moving it could be awhile before they’re doing anything else in Dallas. They are providing service in Las Vegas now, but in a limited area. Has anyone reading this had any experience with them, even just spotting one on the street? I’d be interested to hear. Far as I can tell, they’ve gotten decent reviews so far. They have been seeking broader regulatory approval since last year as well, to deploy their vehicles that don’t have steering wheels or gas/brake pedals. I’m sure that’s holding them back from anything more than testing and limited service. I’ve been seeing those driverless Waymos around my neighborhood lately, so it’s just a matter of time before we start seeing Zooxes as well. TechCrunch, Clean Technica, and D Magazine have more.