Zoox hits the road

Paul Escobar, who handles state policy and engagement for the company, said building and getting the car approved to be on the road had been a challenging but rewarding experience.

“Getting to see this come to fruition in this way was a huge step for us and made it a lot more tangible,” Escobar said. “We are really excited.”

Zoox now deploys the robotaxis for an employee shuttle service for full-time employees. After the initial success, the company is looking to bring its first commercial operations into San Francisco and Las Vegas. Zoox will own and operate the fleet and passenger service, similar to a ride-hailing service that people can summon through an app.

Escobar said the robotaxi represents a change in how people conceive of mobility, comparing it to moving from the horse-drawn carriage to the automobile. The new design removes the human driver and goes to an autonomous system that the company believes will reimagine vehicle design. The robotaxi can drive up to four people at a time on roads between its two main buildings at up to 35 mph and handle turns, traffic lights and other cars and people on the road. The design has a carriage-style feel, with sliding doors and four seats that face each other. It focuses on passenger controls that allow each seat to personalize temperature, music and views.

According to its website, the all-electric vehicles use sensor cameras and radars to see the surroundings, providing a 360-degree field of view and seeing 150 meters away in all directions. While the vehicle can go on freeways and highways, the focus will be city cores.

“We see the first use case and biggest value in dense urban environments,” Escobar.

Escobar noted the company had incorporated more than 100 safety design features that aren’t available in other cars, like an air bag that cushions your head, neck and chest throughout the car. The air bag system deploys from the ceiling for each seat, so each position has the same level of safety. It also has approval from the California Department of Motor Vehicles to operate on state roads.

“Safety is the absolute cornerstone of the company and our mission, and in order to earn the trust and be out in the market and be successful, we need to be safe, and we also see safety is a key promise of this technology,” Escobar said.

Zoox was founded in 2014 and is an independent subsidiary of Amazon. It first revealed the vehicle in December 2020. The company views Foster City as the ideal place to grow and scale through its multiple buildings, along with a central location for testing areas in San Francisco and manufacturing facilities in Fremont.

“It gives us a nice access point to various other nodes that are important to us,” Escobar said.

Escobar said the company collaborates and works with Foster City employees, like training first responders on how to deal with the vehicles and providing relevant information. It is also doing outreach to the community so they know what Zoox is up to.

“People are curious,” Escobar said. “It’s unlike anything they have ever seen before on public roads.”

curtis@smdailyjournal.com

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