Amazon’s Zoox will start paid rides in Las Vegas next week, marking a significant milestone in the company’s autonomous ride-hailing efforts. The commercial launch will see Zoox’s electric carriage-style vehicles, with two rows of inward-facing seats, carrying passengers for a fee.
Competition in the US Robotaxi Market
Zoox’s commercial launch intensifies competition in the US robotaxi market, where Alphabet’s Waymo already operates paid driverless services in multiple cities and Tesla has begun rolling out its service. The company will start charging passengers in Las Vegas from Monday, with pricing similar to the ‘comfort’ tier offered by other ride-hailing companies.
Zoox was the first autonomous ride-hailing company to receive the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) exemption from federal rules requiring human controls. The clearance, however, is limited to up to 2,500 vehicles in each of the next two years.
Original reporting: Appleton, WI News Feed (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
