Amazon launches a rival self-driving company to Elon Musk's Robotaxi.
Last October, Musk unveiled his Cybercab concept, which was met with an underwhelmed reception and 'unimpressed' investors. While the Tesla CEO promised production would start 'before 2027,' competition is already looking fierce.
Amazon-owned Zoox rolled out its robotaxi service in Las Vegas this week, offering free rides to visitors wanting to try it out. The tech giant acquired Zoox for $1.3 billion back in 2020, betting big on a market that could pay off huge if self-driving cars take off. This puts Amazon squarely in competition with Tesla, Google's Waymo and Uber.
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So far, the service connects passengers to 'high-profile destinations' in Las Vegas, including Resorts World Las Vegas, Area15, and Topgolf, with plans to expand routes in the coming months.
Riders can book through the Zoox app, which is available to download on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. When requesting a ride, visitors will be shown license plates, pickup times and arrival updates.
Similarly, Google's Waymo is already running paid robotaxi services across multiple US cities, while Tesla operates a small fleet of paying robotaxis in Austin, Texas.
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“The autonomous vehicle industry has made remarkable strides this year, bringing us closer to a future of safer, more accessible mobility,” said Zoox CEO Aicha Evans. “With the launch of our fully driverless ride-hailing service using a purposefully designed robotaxi, we're thrilled to be part of this groundbreaking journey."
Zoox's symmetrical design features no steering wheel, no pedals, and bench-style seats facing each other, allowing it to switch directions without a defined front or rear.
According to Zoox, the vehicles are able to seamlessly move forward and backwards and switch directions with ease, turning their indicator lights to headlights or brake lights when necessary.
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Co-founder and tech chief Jesse Levinson gave CNBC's Salvador Rodriguez an exclusive test ride and revealed the strategy behind the vehicle design.
He described that 'what you lose in the windshield, you gain in the sides,' allowing passengers better sightseeing views than traditional cars.
Levinson also stated that the design has undergone an 'incredible amount' of crash testing to ensure the vehicle is totally secure in the event of any potential crashes.
"This is a very differentiating experience that you want people to sort of get to understand and know the robotaxi, get used to it, and give us feedback too," Evans told Reuters. "That's good for the community, that's good for the riders, and that's good for Zoox."