“A huge milestone. Kudos and congratulations to the entire Zoox team!” Zoox was knighted by Amazon-Founder jeff bezos (59) personal via Twitter
. Previously had that startup announced that it had used an autonomous shuttle on public roads in Foster City, California for the first time last weekend. From now on, the vehicle with space for four passengers will transport employees at up to 35 miles per hour (approx. 56 km/h) between the two Zoox main buildings. A public shuttle service is also planned for later.
In 2020, Zoox received permission from Californian authorities to equip vehicles with sensors for autonomous functions. So far, Zoox has equipped Toyota SUVs with its technology. Now the “California Department of Motor Vehicles” has also extended the permit to Zoox’s own shuttles.
“It was the first time in history that a custom-built robotaxi drove autonomously on public roads with passengers without manual controls. No steering wheel. No pedals,” Zoox celebrated himself after the maiden voyage. CEO Aicha Evans (54), like Bezos, spoke of a “milestone” for Zoox, but also for the entire industry. Nobody should have any safety concerns, after all, more than a million test kilometers have been covered with the shuttles in San Francisco, Las Vegas and Seattle.
So far, only converted cars from different suppliers are on the road in the USA and China. Specially developed roboshuttles have been in use in some places for several years. In contrast to the Zoox experiment, a safety driver always has to be on board. For example, in Bad Birnbach, Lower Bavaria, where the transport company Regionalbus Ostbayern and some cooperation partners have been using Easymile EZ 10 shuttles for bus transport since April 2017.
Zoox wants competition in the shuttle business General Motors-Do daughter Cruise. She also has permission from the authorities to send robotic buses onto the streets of California. So far, however, that has not happened.
German competition needs money
German automotive suppliers also want to play along ZF Friedrichshafen and Benteler. Both were present at the CES in Las Vegas at the beginning of the year with their shuttle projects. ZF wants to deliver several thousand vehicles by 2030. But getting there is expensive. sales plans for the division, which manager magazin reported on in the summer of 2022
, ZF denied again and again. Without external investors, however, the dream of big business with robobuses for the supplier is unlikely to come true.
At Zoox, on the other hand, money is not an issue. In September 2020, Amazon bought the start-up as a piece of the puzzle for the Attack on the automotive ecosystem
. Numerous automotive manufacturers and suppliers are already using the Group’s cloud services. Amazon is also penetrating deeper into the industry with software for smart vehicles. For example, it has won Stellantis as a major customer for the operating system and infotainment services. On top of that, Amazon holds 20 percent of the electric car manufacturer Rivian.
Zoox is now not only giving Amazon the opportunity to equip Rivian delivery vans with the technology and thus deliver parcels remotely in the future. With the specially designed shuttles, the start-up could also target the mobility market. If that also works, there will definitely be more kudos from Bezos.