Amazon’s Robotaxi subsidiary Zoox has opened a new manufacturing plant in California to build thousands of self-driving cars in the shape of toasters, the company said Wednesday.
The company said the opening of a 220,000-square-foot facility in Hayward, California paved the way for Zoox to eventually assemble more than 10,000 robots each year. However, it may take some time to run the facility at capacity speeds, as it hasn’t even started commercial operations yet.
ZOOX, which has been engaged in self-driving car technology since 2014, began riding on pod-style vehicles without steering wheels or pedals, and chose invitees in the Bay Area in 2023 and in Las Vegas.
It also expanded its test fleet-Toyota The Highlander Hybrids are equipped with radar and lidar sensors and are operated by safety drivers (last year Austin and Miami).
As Zoox prepares for the commercial launch of its Robotaxi service, the service is scheduled to be in line with some ICs later this year. In April, Zoox drove 258 cars off the street after two accidents with motorcycle riders. After the accident, NHTSA launched a preliminary investigation after the accident, although the investigation concluded after Zoox released a software update. Zoox made two recalls in May, first after an incident where one of the robots collided with a passenger car in Las Vegas, and later a scooter man hit one of its uninhabited taxis.
Overall, Zoox does more work than competitors need to do to get people to pre-start their vehicles. Amazon’s Zoox is the only autonomous driving company in the United States to conduct commercial launches with its “dedicated” robots, meaning that ZOOX will be used to transport customers’ vehicles without steering wheels or pedals or something. Other companies, including Waymo and Teslahas shown that its own vehicle has no pedals or steering wheel designs, and none of them are currently using such vehicles with customers on the street. Tesla is expected to launch its Robotaxi service in Austin later this month, which is using its standard model vehicle, with Waymo using modified Jaguar I-Pace vehicles in four cities it operates.
Putting the vehicle without standard controls such as steering wheels and pedals brings its own obstacles. First, emergency responders must be familiar with vehicles that have never been seen before. If no one can get into trouble, it is also difficult to move without control because no one can jump in and drive manually. Zoox CEO Aicha Evans said Robotaxis May require dragging In these cases, remote assistance cannot be assisted.
Meanwhile, federal regulators have pointed out plans to make vehicles like Zoox’s Robotaxi easier to get on the streets. The Department of Transport says it plans to simplify the exemption process so companies can get approval without traditional controls Faster. Zexi Self-certification Its purpose robot has been compliant with all federal security guidelines.
Zoox said its previous assembly facility in Fremont, California will be committed to revamping its test fleet using its automated-level systems and software as well as sensor POD configurations. Zoox first took over the building in 2023 and began using the Robotaxi conference facilities late last year. There are about 100 employees working here, and the company said it is planning to expand its manufacturing, engineering, logistics and operations roles in the manufacturing industry.
