Zoox’s Self-Driving Test Vehicles Are Heading to Washington, DC
Zoox, the autonomous company belonging to Amazon, heads towards the east coast. The company extends its test fleet to Washington, DC, bringing the total number of areas in which it operates eight.
To start, Zoox will deploy a handful of Toyota Highlanders modernized with safety drivers “in the heart of Washington, DC,” said Zoox in a blog article on Tuesday. This fleet of tests will manually map a specific area before moving on to autonomous tests, which is later scheduled for this year.
Look at this: This robotaxi looks like and drives like no car that you have ever seen before
“As the first location of the Atlantic’s middle test, DC presents a complex and unique street arrangement, as well as seasonal meteorological challenges,” said Zoox’s blog. “The city’s street network includes many circles of traffic, diagonal avenues and the circulation of pedestrians and high bikes. In addition, the mixture of wet summers, occasional snowfall and unpredictable precipitation creates various weather conditions to test driving performance.”
Zoox says that Washington, DC, is “among the largest carpooling markets in the United States”. Waymo, the autonomous branch of the mother company of Google Alphabet, has also tested its autonomous vehicle technology and aims to start offering DC journeys next year.
The Robotaxie de Zoox opened up to public riders in Las Vegas.
To test the fleet with the final Robotaxi
With Washington, DC, Zoox exploits its fleet of tests in some parts of the San Francisco, Las Vegas, Seattle, Miami, Los Angeles, Atlanta and Austin, Texas region. These test vehicles are a springboard to a consumer -facing final, which has no driver’s seat, steering wheel or pedals. I was able to do an anticipated test in one of the “specially designed” Robotaxis of Zoox last year, and as unique as the design of the vehicle is, it looks like a surprisingly normal trip.
Earlier this month, Zoox opened journeys to the general public on board its square robotaxis in Las Vegas. He also introduced a waiting list in his application for all those who wish to climb on board in San Francisco whenever this option becomes available.
It is not known whether or when people can be hung in other cities in which its test operation works. But the company clearly prepares to improve its deployment of Robotaxi, as it has recently opened a new manufacturing plant which can launch around 10,000 Robotaxis per year.
