Amazon Owned Robotaxi Ferried Its Employees To Work
Updated: Feb 15, 2023
Amazon's Zoox has successfully ferried passengers in its entirely autonomous vehicle on public roads for the first time, and says it is also the first vehicle created without human controls to do so.
The Zoox robotaxi drove an estimated 1.5km route between its two major offices in Foster City, California, with its employees on board and traveled at a maximum speed of 56km/h. Currently, the company only offers the shuttle service to its employees but it is seeking further approval to extend its service to the general public.
The robotaxi, which was launched at the end of 2020 and has only been tested in its own facilities, is created without traditional controls or pedals and can carry up to four passengers in two rows of seats facing inward. It is also the first autonomous, all-electric passenger automobile built specifically for the purpose and authorised in accordance with current Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) without the need for legal changes or exemptions.
In 2019, Tesla sued Zoox and other former Tesla ex-employees who had joined the firm. They were accused of stealing Tesla's sensitive information and trade secrets pertaining to logistics, shipping, and warehousing, according to the complaint. The complaint was settled in 2020 with an undisclosed sum in which Zoox agreed that when they joined Zoox's logistics team, some of its new workers from Tesla had custody of Tesla records pertaining to shipping, receiving, and warehousing operations.
