Is it a toaster? Is it a tire pill? No, it's Zoox's funny-looking robot, the latest fully autonomous vehicle to hit California roads.
Zoox's self-driving cars began rolling out of San Francisco's SoMa neighborhood this week, and are expected to compete with robotaxis designed by Waymo, which began offering public rides in San Francisco and Los Angeles earlier this year.
But for now. For now, Zoox's self-driving tour around SoMa will be for testing and research purposes only.
“Since 2017, our test fleet has been autonomously navigating the streets of San Francisco with a safety pilot,” Zoox CEO Aicha Evans said in a statement. “Now that we have passed all the important safety measures, we are very excited to start testing our robotaxi in this beautiful city.”
The Amazon subsidiary has also begun testing its self-driving cars near its headquarters in Foster City, Calif., and on the Las Vegas Strip.
A private car ride with sliding doors.
(zoox)
If all goes well, the aim is to start inviting members of the public to the board next year.
The design of the Zoox car, like its name, is considered futuristic. The pill-shaped car is a large cabin on wheels, with two open benches facing each other and no middle or driver's seat.
“For us, a better ride meant creating a lounge-like environment where connections stick and daily activities are not interrupted. It had to be face-to-face,” said Chris Stoffel, the studio's director of engineering, in a statement about the four-seater design.
The Zoox cars were custom-built to drive themselves and don't have traditional hand controls – not even a steering wheel. On the other hand, Waymo uses Jaguar I-Pace SUVs that are available in the market equipped with sensors.
During the day, Zoox riders can view the sky from the sunroof, while at night the roof is illuminated with small, twinkling lights à la a starry sky.
But not everyone sees the proliferation of self-driving cars as heavenly bliss.
In February, a mob swarmed a Waymo car in San Francisco's Chinatown, graffitied it, smashed windows and set the car on fire.
Tensions over autonomous vehicles have escalated after General Motors' self-driving Cruise vehicle hit a woman in downtown San Francisco and dragged her 20 feet off the road in October 2023. The incident prompted state regulators to temporarily revoke the company's permits, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. investigation and for Cruise to recall all of its vehicles.
In November 2023, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass called on state regulators to increase scrutiny of companies that use autonomous vehicles.
This year, Sen. Dave Cortese (D-San Jose) introduced a bill that would allow cities and counties to establish their own laws regarding autonomous vehicles. Although the bill passed the Senate, Cortese later withdrew it after the Assembly Transportation Committee introduced major amendments.
Against this backdrop of public uneasiness, Zoox insists to San Franciscans that it is prepared for this new release.
“We have rigorously tested and validated our AI stack in multiple cities over the past seven years in preparation for the deployment of our fleet of robots,” Jesse Levinson, co-founder and chief technology officer, said in a statement.
The company also touts safety features including six different types of airbags, sensors that prevent the car from detonating until everyone is restrained and software designed to prevent collisions.
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