Amazon has entered the robotaxi race with the launch of its Zoox service in Las Vegas, marking its first public rollout in the United States, CNBC reported.
The electric vehicles began offering free rides in September along the Las Vegas strip. Zoox said it plans to expand across the city in the coming months, and riders will eventually pay once the company receives regulatory approval, the news outlet reported.
The debut puts Amazon up against Alphabet's Waymo, which has already provided more than 10 million paid rides since 2020, and Tesla, which began testing robotaxis in Texas earlier this year. Unlike those rivals, Zoox's design does not resemble a traditional car. There is no steering wheel or pedals, and the box-like shape allows seats to face each other, CNBC said.
The vehicles can carry up to four passengers, run for 16 hours on a charge, and feature large windows for sightseeing. With no driver's seat, the interior is designed for conversation and comfort. "If you have a fully autonomous vehicle, then why do you need a steering wheel?" former Zoox executive Neel Mehta told the outlet.
For consumers, robotaxis could bring cheaper commutes, fewer parking costs, and reduced need for personal car ownership. Electric power also means quieter rides and less traffic noise. With fewer gas-powered vehicles on the road, cities could see improved air quality and reduced amounts of planet-warming pollution, helping to prevent respiratory issues such as asthma.
For governments and businesses, the technology promises lower infrastructure costs and more efficient use of road space. By replacing internal-combustion cars, robotaxis help cut fuel demand and reduce the resource pressure that comes from drilling and refining oil.
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"It's not a retrofitted car," Zoox CEO Aicha Evans told CNBC. "It's built from the ground up around the rider."
Zoox co-founder Jesse Levinson added: "You can shoehorn a robotaxi into something that used to be a car. It's just not an ideal solution. We wanted to do that hard work and take the time and invest in that, and then bring something to market that's just much better than a car."
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