Car companies continue to develop autonomous vehicles that would one day replace human drivers, even though it did not exactly end well with General Motors' Cruise robotaxis. Regardless, Zoox robotaxis will conduct more tests.
Amazon's Zoox Taxi Tests
Self-driving taxis are becoming more common in metropolitan cities in the US, particularly in places like San Francisco, Seattle, and Las Vegas. Autonomous taxi service providers are improving their units to be the preferred service, and Amazon is no exception.
The retail giant will be conducting tests in California and Nevada at a wider range and higher speeds, all of which will be done during the night. From 35 mph, the robotaxis will now drive at 45 mph and will extend its travel distance from one mile to five miles.
Unlike other autonomous vehicles, Zoox doesn't have basic driving controls like steering wheels, pedals, and gear shifters. In other words, passengers will not have the choice to manually assist if things go wrong, adding more importance to the tests.
The company said, "Driving in these larger areas exposes our robotaxis to the busiest conditions they've ever encountered," as reported by Reuters. It will even test its vehicles during light rain, which is essential for gathering additional data.
Its competitors, namely Waymo, will be conducting more advanced and riskier tests. The Google-owned autonomous driving company announced that it will start operations in Los Angeles, in addition to San Francisco and Phoenix.
Like other companies, the ultimate goal is to replace human drivers with the belief that it will be a safer way of transportation. Technologists say that it could be more reliable since autonomy eliminates the human error factor in driving.
For now, the autonomous vehicles are being used as robotaxis, but ever since Amazon acquired Zoox back in 2020, there have been speculations that the retail giant plans to use it for deliveries, taking away the need for human delivery drivers.
Meanwhile, Waymo Has Expanded Its Operations
Almost two weeks ago, California approved Waymo to operate its robotaxis on highways in certain areas of Los Angeles, meaning that the company will be allowed to drive as fast as 65 mph on local roads as well.
Waymo spokesperson Julia Ilina said that the company has no immediate plans to extend its operations to highways and that the expansion will be "careful and incremental," according to The Verge. This could be the best approach especially since Waymo was involved in an incident about a month ago.
There's also the protest from San Francisco agencies and other groups, stemming from the concerns over potential accidents. The doubt about autonomous vehicle operations is justified, considering that robotaxis were involved in both minor and serious accidents last year.
It's also why Cruise was banned from operating its taxis in San Francisco, following the tragic vehicular incident that resulted in a woman being dragged for 20 feet after she fell victim to a hit-and-run by a human driver. With that said, one mistake could lead Waymo or Zoox to the same fate.
