Intelligent CXO Issue 23 | Page 62

REGIONAL ROUND-UP

AFRICA APAC EUROPE MIDDLE EAST NORTH AMERICA

FIRST ROBOTAXI TO OPERATE ON PUBLIC ROADS

Zoox , an autonomous Mobility-as-a- Service company , has announced it completed a key milestone : deploying one of the world ’ s first purposebuilt robotaxis on open public roads with passengers in Foster City , California .

To reach this milestone , Zoox completed rigorous testing on private roads and received approval from the California Department of Motor Vehicles ( DMV ) to operate its robotaxi on the state ’ s public roads . To date , Zoox is one of the only purpose-built robotaxis permitted on Californian public roads that is self-certified to the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards ( FMVSS ). Zoox ’ s ground-up design incorporated FMVSS performance requirements directly into its vehicle and added more than 100 safety innovations not available in today ’ s passenger cars . turns , bi-directional turns , traffic lights , cyclists , pedestrians , vehicles and other road agents on this route .
“ The founding premise of Zoox was finding the best way to advance transportation and increase safety on our roadways to reimagine the full mobility experience . We have found that means going beyond retrofitting today ’ s passenger vehicles with autonomous technology ,” said Jesse Levinson , Co-founder and Chief Technology Officer at Zoox . “ It is a feat of design and engineering – and the culmination of years of hard work
– to drive a purpose-built vehicle , fully autonomously and without safety drivers . With the ability to operate our vehicle on public roads and the deployment of our employee shuttle service , we ’ ll continue to refine and improve our technology and operations as we prepare for our commercial service launch .”
In compliance with the California DMV permit , Zoox will first provide its service to its employees . As the company continues to advance its progress and secure additional government clearances , it will expand its service to the general public . x
“ Becoming one of the first companies to operate a purpose-built robotaxi with passengers on open public roads in California is a significant milestone in not only Zoox ’ s journey , but for the autonomous vehicle industry at large ,” said Aicha Evans , Chief Executive Officer at Zoox . “ With the announcement of the maiden run of our autonomous employee shuttle , we are adding to the progress this industry has seen over the last year and bringing Zoox one step closer to a commercialised purpose-built robotaxi service for the general public .”
Following the completion of its historic first run , Zoox will deploy its employee shuttle service at its HQ in Foster City , California . The employee shuttle service will be offered exclusively to all Zoox fulltime employees . The robotaxi is capable of transporting up to four people at a time on a public route between Zoox ’ s two main office buildings , travelling up to 35 mph and handling left-hand and right-hand
62 www . intelligentcxo . com