Latest news with #Zoox
Miami Herald
2 hours ago
- Automotive
- Miami Herald
Driverless disruption: Tech titans gird for robotaxi wars with new factory and territories
As three key players vie for dominance, the race to put driverless taxis on roads across the country is heating up. Waymo, owned by Google's parent company Alphabet, already offers paid autonomous rides in a handful of cities, including San Francisco and Los Angeles. Amazon's robotaxi effort, known as Zoox, opened a new production facility in the Bay Area this week. The company has been testing its unique pill-shaped vehicles in California and Nevada since 2023. Meanwhile, in Austin, Texas, Elon Musk just started testing driverless Teslas with the hopes of launching a commercial service soon. Musk unveiled a prototype for Tesla's Cybercab late last year, touting his vision for an autonomous future and "an age of abundance." The arrival of self-driving tech could eventually affect society as much as the internet and smartphones did years ago, some experts predict. With Waymo leading the way and Tesla and Zoox trying to catch up quickly, a new status quo could be on the horizon, said Karl Brauer, an analyst with "Tesla has tried to catch up, and Zoox is a more recent competitor that's hoping to be a serious player," he said. "Waymo has been slow and steady and, as a result, is winning the race." According to some industry insiders, the U.S. is about 15 years from seeing widespread use of robotaxis, Brauer said. While Waymo taxis have become a common sight in the cities where they operate, weather conditions and charging infrastructure still limit their expansion. On Wednesday, Waymo expanded its service area in Los Angeles County, where its vehicles now roam an area of more than 120 square miles. The company also increased its service area in San Francisco, expanding access to suburbs and Silicon Valley. Days after Waymo's announcement, Zoox opened a 220,000-square-foot facility in Hayward, Calif., that the company says will be able to produce 10,000 robotaxis per year. Zoox is preparing to launch its public ride-hailing service in Las Vegas and San Francisco this year. Unlike Waymo vehicles, which are retrofitted Jaguars, Zoox is developing a purpose-built taxi with no steering wheel or gas pedals. Zoox also has a manufacturing plant in Fremont, Calif., where the company develops its test fleets of retrofitted Toyota Highlanders. Tesla has a manufacturing facility in Fremont as well. Musk has promised for years to deliver autonomous vehicles and a robust ride-hailing service. Lawmakers in Austin requested this week that he delay the rollout of his service in the city. Tesla, Zoox and Waymo are the three remaining major U.S. companies in what was once a more crowded field, Brauer said. General Motors' autonomous taxi company Cruise suspended operations in 2023 after one of its vehicles struck and dragged a pedestrian in San Francisco. Last year, Uber and Cruise announced a partnership that could put Cruise vehicles back on the road. A company called Argo AI, backed by Ford and Volkswagen, was also developing driverless technology until it shut down in 2022. The continued expansion of robotaxis depends on safe and successful testing, Brauer said. There have been several incidents related to Tesla's Full Self-Drive mode, a technology currently available but still in development. Waymo has issued recalls of some of its vehicles on multiple occasions. "If there's a tragic result for any of these three companies during the testing and development process, it would likely slow down the entire industry," Brauer said. Copyright (C) 2025, Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Portions copyrighted by the respective providers.
Yahoo
17 hours ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Driverless disruption: Tech titans gird for robotaxi wars with new factory and territories
As three key players vie for dominance, the race to put driverless taxis on roads across the country is heating up. Waymo, owned by Google's parent company Alphabet, already offers paid autonomous rides in a handful of cities, including San Francisco and Los Angeles. Amazon's robotaxi effort, known as Zoox, opened a new production facility in the Bay Area this week. The company has been testing its unique pill-shaped vehicles in California and Nevada since 2023. Meanwhile, in Austin, Texas, Elon Musk just started testing driverless Teslas with the hopes of launching a commercial service soon. Musk unveiled a prototype for Tesla's Cybercab late last year, touting his vision for an autonomous future and "an age of abundance." Read more: Tesla makes step toward robotaxi services in California. What to know The arrival of self-driving tech could eventually affect society as much as the internet and smartphones did years ago, some experts predict. With Waymo leading the way and Tesla and Zoox trying to catch up quickly, a new status quo could be on the horizon, said Karl Brauer, an analyst with 'Tesla has tried to catch up, and Zoox is a more recent competitor that's hoping to be a serious player,' he said. 'Waymo has been slow and steady and, as a result, is winning the race.' According to some industry insiders, the U.S. is about 15 years from seeing widespread use of robotaxis, Brauer said. While Waymo taxis have become a common sight in the cities where they operate, weather conditions and charging infrastructure still limit their expansion. On Wednesday, Waymo expanded its service area in Los Angeles County, where its vehicles now roam an area of more than 120 square miles. The company also increased its service area in San Francisco, expanding access to suburbs and Silicon Valley. Read more: Waymo expands service area in Los Angeles and San Francisco Days after Waymo's announcement, Zoox opened a 220,000-square-foot facility in Hayward, Calif., that the company says will be able to produce 10,000 robotaxis per year. Zoox is preparing to launch its public ride-hailing service in Las Vegas and San Francisco this year. Unlike Waymo vehicles, which are retrofitted Jaguars, Zoox is developing a purpose-built taxi with no steering wheel or gas pedals. Zoox also has a manufacturing plant in Fremont, Calif., where the company develops its test fleets of retrofitted Toyota Highlanders. Tesla has a manufacturing facility in Fremont as well. Musk has promised for years to deliver autonomous vehicles and a robust ride-hailing service. Lawmakers in Austin requested this week that he delay the rollout of his service in the city. Read more: Zoox's pill-shaped robotaxis become latest self-driving cars to hit California's streets Tesla, Zoox and Waymo are the three remaining major U.S. companies in what was once a more crowded field, Brauer said. General Motors' autonomous taxi company Cruise suspended operations in 2023 after one of its vehicles struck and dragged a pedestrian in San Francisco. Last year, Uber and Cruise announced a partnership that could put Cruise vehicles back on the road. A company called Argo AI, backed by Ford and Volkswagen, was also developing driverless technology until it shut down in 2022. The continued expansion of robotaxis depends on safe and successful testing, Brauer said. There have been several incidents related to Tesla's Full Self-Drive mode, a technology currently available but still in development. Waymo has issued recalls of some of its vehicles on multiple occasions. 'If there's a tragic result for any of these three companies during the testing and development process, it would likely slow down the entire industry,' Brauer said. Sign up for our Wide Shot newsletter to get the latest entertainment business news, analysis and insights. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles Times
18 hours ago
- Automotive
- Los Angeles Times
Driverless disruption: Tech titans gird for robotaxi wars with new factory and territories
As three key players vie for dominance, the race to put driverless taxis on roads across the country is heating up. Waymo, owned by Google's parent company Alphabet, already offers paid autonomous rides in a handful of cities, including San Francisco and Los Angeles. Amazon's robotaxi effort, known as Zoox, opened a new production facility in the Bay Area this week. The company has been testing its unique pill-shaped vehicles in California and Nevada since 2023. Meanwhile, in Austin, Texas, Elon Musk just started testing driverless Teslas with the hopes of launching a commercial service soon. Musk unveiled a prototype for Tesla's Cybercab late last year, touting his vision for an autonomous future and 'an age of abundance.' The arrival of self-driving tech could eventually affect society as much as the internet and smartphones did years ago, some experts predict. With Waymo leading the way and Tesla and Zoox trying to catch up quickly, a new status quo could be on the horizon, said Karl Brauer, an analyst with 'Tesla has tried to catch up, and Zoox is a more recent competitor that's hoping to be a serious player,' he said. 'Waymo has been slow and steady and, as a result, is winning the race.' According to some industry insiders, the U.S. is about 15 years from seeing widespread use of robotaxis, Brauer said. While Waymo taxis have become a common sight in the cities where they operate, weather conditions and charging infrastructure still limit their expansion. On Wednesday, Waymo expanded its service area in Los Angeles County, where its vehicles now roam an area of more than 120 square miles. The company also increased its service area in San Francisco, expanding access to suburbs and Silicon Valley. Days after Waymo's announcement, Zoox opened a 220,000-square-foot facility in Hayward, Calif., that the company says will be able to produce 10,000 robotaxis per year. Zoox is preparing to launch its public ride-hailing service in Las Vegas and San Francisco this year. Unlike Waymo vehicles, which are retrofitted Jaguars, Zoox is developing a purpose-built taxi with no steering wheel or gas pedals. Zoox also has a manufacturing plant in Fremont, Calif., where the company develops its test fleets of retrofitted Toyota Highlanders. Tesla has a manufacturing facility in Fremont as well. Musk has promised for years to deliver autonomous vehicles and a robust ride-hailing service. Lawmakers in Austin requested this week that he delay the rollout of his service in the city. Tesla, Zoox and Waymo are the three remaining major U.S. companies in what was once a more crowded field, Brauer said. General Motors' autonomous taxi company Cruise suspended operations in 2023 after one of its vehicles struck and dragged a pedestrian in San Francisco. Last year, Uber and Cruise announced a partnership that could put Cruise vehicles back on the road. A company called Argo AI, backed by Ford and Volkswagen, was also developing driverless technology until it shut down in 2022. The continued expansion of robotaxis depends on safe and successful testing, Brauer said. There have been several incidents related to Tesla's Full Self-Drive mode, a technology currently available but still in development. Waymo has issued recalls of some of its vehicles on multiple occasions. 'If there's a tragic result for any of these three companies during the testing and development process, it would likely slow down the entire industry,' Brauer said.
Globe and Mail
a day ago
- Automotive
- Globe and Mail
'High End Computers on Wheels': Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) Ramps Up Zoox Production
The move to get cars out on the streets that drive themselves—whether in our garages or serving as the connection between humans and ride-sharing programs—is only ramping up. And online retail giant Amazon (AMZN) is right in the thick of it as its Zoox arm is stepping up production ahead of a formal launch in Las Vegas later this year. As big a deal technologically as this is, Amazon shareholders were oddly tepid about it all, giving Amazon shares a fractional boost in Wednesday afternoon's trading. Confident Investing Starts Here: Easily unpack a company's performance with TipRanks' new KPI Data for smart investment decisions Receive undervalued, market resilient stocks right to your inbox with TipRanks' Smart Value Newsletter Zoox just opened a new manufacturing operation in the San Francisco Bay Area—a site in Hayward, California, reports noted—to start stepping up its production. Right now, Zoox makes just one robotaxi per day, but as the launch gets closer, that number will increase substantially. In fact, reports suggest, by the time the operation reaches full scale, it will produce in about 20 minutes what it currently produces in a day, reaching a total rate of about 10,000 robotaxis per year. Of course, this low production rate is not much of a problem, notes Aicha Evans, Zoox CEO. Zoox is not actually selling these cars, but making them for internal use. In fact, Evans noted, the cars were essentially '… high-end computers on wheels.' The vehicles, shaped like toasters, reportedly have no steering wheel, and riders face each other almost like a stagecoach, or 'carriage-style' vehicle would work. A Page Out of the Good Book Meanwhile, Amazon's streaming aspirations continue along, as new reports suggest that Amazon is once again turning to religion for inspiration. Currently working with Dallas Jenkins of The Chosen, Amazon is now starting work on a series that focuses on Joseph, former second-in-command of all Egypt, who you might best remember for having a really colorful coat. The series, dubbed Joseph of Egypt, will be executive produced by Jenkins, with Craig Wright handling writing as well as executive production duties. Amazon Prime is also currently running House of David, reports note, which started in February and got a second season shortly after. Release dates for Joseph of Egypt, meanwhile, are not yet known. Is Amazon a Good Long-Term Investment? Turning to Wall Street, analysts have a Strong Buy consensus rating on AMZN stock based on 46 Buys and one Hold assigned in the past three months, as indicated by the graphic below. After a 15.43% rally in its share price over the past year, the average AMZN price target of $241.64 per share implies 12.16% upside potential. See more AMZN analyst ratings Disclosure
Yahoo
a day ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Zoox unveils US robotaxi production facility
Zoox, an Amazon-backed company has inaugurated its first serial production facility for purpose-built robotaxis in the US, signalling a significant step in the company's expansion plans. The facility, located in Hayward, California, spans 220,000ft2 and is set to support Zoox's growth and robotaxi services across multiple markets. The new facility represents a pivotal moment for Zoox, being the second vehicle production site in the Bay Area. It complements the existing Fremont facility, which now focuses on the assembly of the Zoox testing fleet and sensor pod configuration. At full capacity, the Hayward site can assemble over 10,000 robotaxis annually, with production numbers set to align with the commercial service's demand. The Hayward facility is a hub for various operations, including robotaxi engineering, software and hardware integration, assembly, component storage, and shipping. It also houses the essential end-of-line testing before the robotaxis are deployed. This state-of-the-art facility not only showcases Zoox's values but also fosters close collaboration between engineers and other teams due to its proximity to the Foster City headquarters. Zoox's approach to owning, operating, and assembling its robotaxis provides the company with comprehensive oversight of the entire production process. This control allows Zoox to adjust production based on market demand and expansion plans. The facility's design and equipment are future-proof, ready to accommodate advances in robotaxi design. Despite the focus on autonomous robots, the human workforce remains integral to the manufacturing process at Zoox. Robots perform precision tasks, such as applying adhesive for glass installation, while the rest of the assembly is carried out manually. The facility is expected to create hundreds of jobs in the San Francisco Bay Area, with roles for operators, logistics personnel, and assembly specialists set to increase as the operation scales up. "Zoox unveils US robotaxi production facility" was originally created and published by Just Auto, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site.
