I stand outside the Office Office Nondescyport in Las Vegas, along with a box in the form of a box without a suitable interface or background. I got a set of sliding doors, not a driving wheel, and the touches control items. It is a dual -direction, which means that it can move in either direction without spinning. To be completely honest, it seems like a large toas of the actual car.
This is the second generation Zoox RobotaxiAnd an independent shuttle designed for this purpose, which was tested in Las Vegas and his around last year and a half last year. Zoo, Amazon companyHe was working on this for more than a decade, and during CES this year, she finally left a few journalists taking a trip.
To date, the only robots that run on public roads in the United States are run by Alphabet’s Waymo. Others have tried, but they tend to run out of money or are marginalized by traffic accidents (or, in the case of Cruz, both). Unlike Waymo, Zoox is not open to the public. He didn’t even say when it will be. And between the eyes and emo New cities and New partnershipsZoox is still stuck in beta position.
But it may be about to finish. Certainly inviting journalists to go to ride a step towards a public launch.
“We just tried to remain fixed, institutional, and focused on our mission, regardless of what is going on,” said Zoox and CTO Jesse Levinson during the trip. “We can definitely learn from our travelers. We can be a source of inspiration when they do a good job, we feel, hey, as you know, this is possible. We must ride here. And then, as you know, if they make some mistakes, we can learn from that And we did. “
More than 10 years and One billion dollars in investments Later, Zoox is currently available only for employees and their families in San Francisco, Las Vegas and Saytel, with more sites, including Austin and Miami, later this year. Although most people are still able to welcome the zoo any time soon, the company will open the Zoox “Explorer” program for the invitation only, like what Waymo did with Waymo with it with it The cyclists early.
But regardless cruise and Argo Ai Close after funding dried. China intensifies its own efforts, workers and technology workers alike. Elon Musk has recently pledged at Tesla His roboti operation in JuneBut doubts about his safety approach are still.
“We must catch here. After that, as you know, if they make some mistakes, we can learn from that and do.”
Zoox still feels behind the curve. Its business model depends on building a completely customized reserved vehicles, which are very expensive, intense, and risky, thanks to the different rules and regulations. There are some questions about the company The self -arrangement process for its cars. And their test vehicles Under investigation by NHTSA After hitting two motorcyclists last year.
Zoox certainly has its own fleet of Hybrids Toyota Highlander that has been updated to test its programs in places like San Francisco and Las Vegas. About 60 Haylander mules sat parked or parked in the non -descriptive warehouse in Las Vegas, along with a handful of the first generation of EVS in different dismantling situations.
But the highlands are old news. Zoox is betting on all its chips on the AVS designed for this. And whether people embrace these funny shirts, a lot will depend on what they feel on the road.
The autonomous vehicles in which they have previously installed had traditional controls or the accommodation pedal/pedal pedal settings/brakes. They also had familiar cars and designs. Zoox does not have any of these things.
One of the technicians opens the sliding doors of an low -character electric car using the iPad. I went inward, along with Levinson and Zoox PR representative. The interior is wide, similar to more than inside the bus or subway.
The seats are fixed and covered with synthetic materials woven for easy cleaning if anyone gets sick or leaks something. Levinson told me that they recently updated the seats to be more comfortable based on the reactions from the employees they were testing. Since the seats face each other, there is much vision either from both sides of the car. If you easily get Carsick, sitting back may be a bad idea.
The sliding side doors provide a decent view of what happens on the side of the car, although the seats appear over the shoulder height, which prevents your direct width. There are custom airbags hidden throughout the car in the event of a crash, and of course safety belts.
We sit next to each other while the public relations representative sits, and there is enough space between us to cross a person without colliding with anyone. We make a grille and the journey begins using a tablet near the door. These are the only car control items: the passengers can control the temperature, ask the car to pull it, check the passengers, and control the sound. Some of these functions are supposed to be controlled also through the application.
The road we take is a 30 -minute pre -set loop on the edge of the Las Vegas and back strip. They are all local roads, there are no fast roads, at a speed of about 45 mph. While we finish pre -restaurants and shopping centers, we face construction areas, pedestrians and other natural.
The first challenge comes when we reach a building site with a closed right lane before the intersection. While Robotaxi moves well, he still feels that he is an organic and a little robot. Instead of integration before coming to closing the corridor as a human driver does, Zoox leads to the mark that prevents the corridor, stops completely, signs, and awaits a relatively large traffic gap to integrate the left. It takes a full minute before letting the traffic enough so that Robotaxi feels enough confidence to move safely.
Later, we face a pedestrian waiting to cross the light. There are no problems here: Zoox is patience while the person crosses, and after changing the light, we go away.
If you easily get Carsick, sitting back may be a bad idea.
Besides these two challenges in the real world, the journey is largely calm, with the exception of some random and somewhat surprising braking at the last minute when it comes to light or a stop mark. In general, the experience feels safe but less aware of the Waymo trip.
While the company says it has made some upgrades for things like suspension, brakes and electrical driving units, the ride is still a little harsh, and the brake sometimes feels the gap. With the wheels in the outer corners of the car, the body is very low on the ground, the raw roads (such as the construction area) and the excavation is sharply perceived. Since the seats have the minimum filling, these ripples are transmitted directly through your seat to your body. This can be a problem for people who wander more than high comfort in most modern SUVs.
In general, Robotaxi was good, but it is important to note that this was not the first time that Zoox has led the same path – it was not the second or third time. There were already at least 10 other journalists Those who did the same way, did not manage Zoox that Zoox took the trip before we invited us on board. Experts believe that the ability to guidance dynamically, without any prior planning, is one of the most important driver taxi service tests. With this in mind, Zoox still has a lot to prove it.
After that, there, because there are no moments of the best term: when you swire or prepare because the independent car is about to do something stupid. While there are some unexpected braking moments along the way, and the strange conservative corridors options, Zoox Robotaxi has never behaved in a way that made me feel insecure.
Zoox takes the slow and steady way to autonomy, while maintaining dealing with its design and royal programs. The jump is still a few test vehicles to wider success in places that are not always sunken with a clear sky and moderate temperatures throughout the year. But Zoox believes it has a profitable formula.
“This experience we face in this car, there is nothing like it now,” Livinson claims. “You can’t get it in a re -update car. You can’t get it in Cybercab … We think we are on something.”
