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Zoox sort of feels like the robotaxi company that’s often forgotten. Or maybe that’s just me. You’ve got Waymo, which has been in this field for more than 15 years and is operating at the highest scale in the US, you’ve got Tesla and all of the press it gets for its robotaxi plans, you’ve got the various Chinese robotaxi companies, and then you’ve got little Zoox. Cute, fun, but serious?
Well, Zoox does keep rolling forward, and it is backed by Amazon. Now the company has also just launched the next evolution of its robotaxi. The core message from Zoox on the new vehicle: “A more comfortable, intuitive experience as we prepare to welcome more riders.”
It does look like the most inviting of all the robotaxi models I’ve seen, but close to Waymo’s new Ojai model.
The team has been keen to do things as perfectly as possible for a new era of robotaxi use, and it has custom designed its vehicles from the beginning for that purpose, rather than starting off with normal consumer passenger vehicles sold on the auto market like Waymo and Tesla have done. “Since our inception in 2014, Zoox has taken a unique approach to solving autonomy: building a purpose-built robotaxi from the ground up for a fully driverless ridehailing experience,” the company writes. “Starting with a blank sheet meant we could design around riders, not drivers. By eliminating unnecessary driving controls, Zoox created a symmetrical, spacious cabin that delivers safety and comfort levels not found in traditional cars. Its signature carriage-style seating further distinguishes the vehicle, creating a social, face-to-face riding environment.”
