The e-commerce giant kicks off the road test of his self-driving vehicle Zoox. Together with the initiatives promoted by the giant to contribute to the reduction of CO2 emissions, there is also that of robot taxi which will help streamline employee travel.
Not surprisingly, the company founded by Jeff Bezos has also decided to invest in the automotive sector and the purchase of the Zoox company, specialized in the development of self-driving vehicles, undoubtedly represents an important step forward.
In recent days, the vehicle was driven on a route connecting two Zoox buildings located a mile apart at its California headquarters in Foster City. So it was a matter of a fundamental test to optimize the technologies with which the vehicle is equipped but also an opportunity to launch a free shuttle service for all its employees.
From a technical point of view, the vehicle is equipped with two electric motorsone per axle, powered by a battery pack from 133 kWh overall capable of guaranteeing approx 16 hours of autonomy and to reach a maximum speed of 120 km/h. Complying with the standards of level 5 of autonomous driving, the robotaxi is devoid of steering wheel and pedals, implementing lidar, various radar sensors and cameras that increase safety while driving by providing a field of vision of 270 degrees and up to 150 meters away.
Putting the vehicle on a public road and being able to make it comply with all the requirements required for this type of activity, including the regulatory ones, is a big step for us. We wouldn’t have been able to do this if we hadn’t decided to use our vehicles for commercial purposes, commented Zoox CEO Aicha Evans during the vehicle’s first run.
The first test of the robotaxi on public roads and with passengers on board represents a fundamental step forward for the commercialization of the service which will also be open to the public in the future.
