Practical Zoox Robotaxi: Sure but late

I stand outside an indefinable corporate office park in Las Vegas next to a box in the shape of a box without a proper front or back. It has a set of sliding doors, no steering wheel and tactile pavement controls. It is bidirectional, which means that it can move in both directions without turning around. And to be completely frank, it looks more like an oversized toaster than a real car.

It’s the second generation Zoox RobotaxiA specially designed autonomous shuttle that has tested Las Vegas and around the last year and a half. Zoox, A subsidiary of AmazonThere has been working there for more than a decade, and during this year, he finally left some journalists to take a look.

Until now, the only robotaxis operating on public roads in the United States is led by Waymo d’Alphabet. Others have tried but tend to run out of money or get away from traffic accidents (or, in the case of Cruise, both). Unlike Waymo, Zoox’s Robotaxi service is not open to the public. He indicates that it will be posted in Las Vegas in 2025, but did not communicate how long the waiting list period will last. And like Waymo Eyes new cities And new partnershipsZoox always tries to get out of beta mode.

But it gets closer. Inviting journalists to take a look is certainly a step towards a public launch.

“We have just tried to remain really stable, anchored and focus on our mission, whatever happens elsewhere,” said the co -founder of Zoox and Cto Jesse Levinson during the trip. “We can certainly learn from our passenger colleagues. We can be inspired when they are doing well, and we have the impression, hey, you know, it is possible. We have to catch up here. And then, you know, if they make missteps, we can learn and we do it. »»

Over 10 years and one billions of dollars in investments Later, Zoox is currently only available for employees and their families from Foster City, San Francisco and Las Vegas, with more locations to come. Its modernized SUV test fleet is currently active throughout the Bay region, in Las Vegas, Seattle, with more locations, including Austin and Miami, to come. While most people will still not be able to greet a zoox of anytime soon, the company will soon open an “explore” program Zoox Invitation, just like what Waymo did with his First runners. But he did not say when he expects to launch a sales service accessible to the public for anyone who wishes to use it.

But apart from Waymo, the larger Robotaxi project seems to weaken, with companies like Cruise And Argo ai Stoping after funding has dried. China increases its own efforts, alarming legislators and technological workers. Elon Musk de Tesla recently promised to launch His own Robotaxi operation in JuneBut doubts remain on his approach to security.

Zoox always has the impression of being behind the curve. Its commercial model is based on the construction of tailor-made tailor-made autonomous vehicles, which is extremely expensive, with a high intensity of labor and relatively heavy, thanks to various rules and regulations. There are questions about the company self -certification process for its vehicles. And its test vehicles are under investigation by the NHTSA After two motorcyclists were struck last year.

Admittedly, Zoox has its own fleet of modernized Toyota Highlander hybrids to test its software in places like San Francisco and Las Vegas. About 60 of the Highlander Mules sat or slowed down in the indefinable warehouse in Las Vegas, alongside a handful of the company’s first generation electric vehicles in different disassembly states.

But the Highlanders are old news. Zoox bets all his chips to built. And if people embrace these funny toaster on the wheels will depend a lot on what they feel on the road.

The autonomous vehicles in which I have previously driven have all had traditional orders or familiar steering wheel / brake pedal configurations. They also had car shapes and familiar drawings. Zoox has none of these things.

One of the technicians opens the sliding doors of the low -leaf electric vehicle using an iPad. I enter inside, with Levinson and a representative of the Zoox Pr. The interior is spacious, more resembling inside a bus or a metro.

The seats are firm and covered in an industrial material woven for easy cleaning if someone falls ill or reverses something. Levinson tells me that they recently updated the seats to be more comfortable on the basis of the comments of the employees who tested them. Because the seats are faced, there is not a ton of visibility on both ends of the vehicle. If you easily have a sick car, sit back can be a bad idea.

The sliding side doors offer a decent view of what is happening on the side of the vehicle, although the seats come above the shoulder height, blocking your direct view. There are personalized airbags hidden throughout the vehicle in the event of an accident, and of course, safety belts.

Levinson and I sit side by side while the representative of public relations is seated, and there is enough space between us to cross our legs without falling on anyone. We complete and start the journey using one of the tablets near the door. These are the only vehicle orders: runners can control the temperature, ask the vehicle to stop, check the duration of driving and control the audio. Presumably, some of these functions will also be controlled via the application.

The route we take is a 30 -minute predetermined loop to the edge of the Las Vegas and back band. These are all local roads, no highways, with speed limits around 45 mph. While we go beyond restaurants and shopping centers, we meet construction areas, pedestrians and other normal.

The first challenge occurs when we arrive on a construction site with a right track closed in front of an intersection. While the Robotaxi sails well, it always seems inorganic and slightly robotic. Instead of merge before coming to close the track as a human driver would, the zoox rolls to the sign blocking the way, stops fully, signals and awaits a relatively large gap in the traffic to merge on the left . It takes a full minute before traffic only allows the Robotaxi feels confident enough to move safely.

Later, we meet a pedestrian waiting to cross the light. No problem here: the zoox wait patiently while the person crosses, and after the light, we are going.

Beyond these two challenges in the real world, the journey is largely without incident, with the exception of random and rather sudden jerky braking at the last minute when it comes to a light or stop sign. Overall, the experience feels safe but less fully carried out than a Waymo tour.

While society says that it has upgrades to things such as suspension, brakes and units of an electric player, the journey is still a little harsh and the braking sometimes feels abrupt. With the wheels at the outer corners of the vehicle, and the body so low on the ground, the rough roads (such as the construction zone) and the hen nests are felt acutely. And as the seats have minimal padding, these ripples travel directly through your seat and in your body. This could be a problem for people who are more attentive to the high comfort of most modern SUVs.

Overall, Robotaxi has done well, but it is important to note that it was not the first time that Zoox has taken the same route – nor the second or third time. There had already been at least 10 other journalists Who had done the same route, not counting whenever, Zoox ran the trip before inviting us on board. Experts believe that the ability to ride dynamically, without any planning, is one of the most important tests of a driver -free taxi service. In this spirit, Zoox still has a lot to prove.

And then there are those, lacking a better term, moments of plibin: when you creak teeth or accelerate because the autonomous vehicle is about to do something stupid. Although there have been some unexpected braking moments along the way and choices of strangely conservative routes, the Robotaxi Zoox never behaved in a way that made me dangerous.

Zoox takes the lane slow and regular towards autonomy, while keeping its own design and owner software. Going on a few broad success test vehicles in places that are not always sunny with a clear sky and moderate temperatures all year round is still far for any Robotaxi business. But Zoox thinks he has the winning formula.

“This experience that we live in this vehicle, there is nothing like it now,” says Levinson. “You can’t get this in a modernized car. You can’t get this in a cybercab … We think we are on something.

Update, February 11: Zoox’s modernized SUV test fleet is tested in the region of Bay, Seattle and Las Vegas. This message has been updated to reflect this. He did not say when he launched a Robotaxi service not arranged and accessible to the public. This article has been updated to reflect this.