A San Francisco based tech-startup by the name of Zoox, which is now a subsidiary of Amazon, unveiled a self-driving vehicle that will serve as its first self-driving taxi.
The tech firm began its operations in 2014, and a year later, they developed a prototype that demonstrated Level-3 autonomous driving capabilities. After continuing with durability testing in the following years, the company established a manufacturing plant for the vehicles in 2019. In May 2020, Amazon acquired the firm.
About the Vehicle
Zoox autonomous taxi is a small vehicle that accommodates four passengers per ride. The vehicle runs on a 133 kWh lithium-ion battery pack that allows it to be used for 16 hours continuously. The vehicle has 4-wheel steering, allowing it to maneuver in tight spaces with ease, and has a claimed top speed of 75 miles per hour.
It is pertinent to mention that these vehicles are meant to operate within geo-fenced urban areas, which implies that they would mostly do slow pace commutes. However, the top speed hints that the vehicle could also be used for highway commutes in the future.
For autonomous driving capabilities, the Zoox features a set of rotating lidar units, each offering a panoramic 270-degree field of view, which when combined with radar and camera gear, provides 360-degree awareness within 500 feet.
In terms of safety, the Zoox vehicle has reportedly cleared the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) crash tests. Furthermore, apart from standard seat belts, it has elaborate airbag systems that deploy around each passenger to provide forward and side-impact protection.
The vehicle is reportedly fitted with premium materials that can only be found in luxury vehicles. Plus, it also has a Rolls Royce-like starlight headliner that illuminates in the dark to provide a luxurious ambiance to the riders. Each passenger shall get their own cupholder and a wireless charging pad, and a built-in screen for infotainment use.
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Details are yet to be revealed as to when the vehicles will be rolled out for public use. However, given the fast pace of developments on that front, Amazon’s aspiration of materializing autonomous taxis in the real world might come to fruition soon.
