Amazon’s autonomous car unit, Zoox, has announced a significant expansion of its vehicle testing in California and Nevada, aiming to keep pace with rival companies like Waymo. The expansion includes a wider testing area, higher speeds, and the addition of nighttime driving.
The changes, unveiled on Thursday, are focused on Zoox’s unique fleet of vehicles, which the company designed and built itself. These vehicles, known for their toaster oven-like appearance, do not feature traditional manual controls such as steering wheels, pedals, and gear shifters. In addition to its proprietary vehicles, Zoox also operates retrofitted self-driving Toyota Highlanders in several cities, including Seattle, Las Vegas, San Francisco, and Foster City, California.
See also: Zoox Brings Driverless Robotaxis to Las Vegas, Expanding Operations to Nevada
“Driving in these larger areas exposes our robotaxis to the busiest conditions they’ve ever encountered,” Zoox stated in a press release.
While Zoox’s expansion efforts are considered modest compared to Alphabet’s recent announcement about launching a taxi service in Los Angeles, the company is making significant strides. Zoox has increased the speed limit for its vehicles to 45 miles per hour (72 kph) from 35 mph and expanded the permitted driving area in Las Vegas to five miles from one mile.
Zoox has also announced that its vehicles will now operate in light rain and at night, crucial steps for collecting additional data to improve their autonomous driving capabilities.
See also: Zoox Launches First Pedal-Free Robotaxi Rides on Public Roads in California
The ultimate goal for Zoox, like many of its competitors, is to replace human drivers with fully autonomous vehicles. Advocates for this technology argue that it can offer increased safety and reliability by eliminating human error. However, Zoox has not provided a specific timeline for when it expects its fully autonomous vehicles to be widely available.
