Iâm standing outside a nondescript corporate office park in Las Vegas next to a box-shaped vehicle with no proper front or back. It’s got a set of sliding doors, no steering wheel, and touchpad controls. Itâs bidirectional, meaning it can move in either direction without turning around. And to be completely frank, it looks more like an oversized toaster than an actual car.
This is the second-generation Zoox robotaxi, a purpose-built autonomous shuttle that has been testing in and around Las Vegas for the last year and a half. Zoox, a subsidiary of Amazon, has been working on it for over a decade, and during this yearâs CES, it finally let a few journalists take a ride.
So far, the only robotaxis operating on public roads in the US are run by Alphabetâs Waymo. Others have tried but tend to run out of money or get sidelined by traffic mishaps (or, in the case of Cruise, both). Unlike Waymo, Zoox isnât open to the public. It hasnât even said when it will be. And as Waymo eyes new cities and new partnerships, Zoox is still stuck in beta mode.
But maybe itâs about to get unstuck. Inviting journalists to go for a ride is certainly a step toward a public launch.
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