2025: A Crucial Year for Amazon’s Zoox Robotaxi Unit

A Zoox robotaxi sits outside the company’s large office and warehouse in Las Vegas.

LAS VEGAS — This year is expected to be a crucial one for Amazon’s autonomous vehicle unit Zoox, as the company plans to grow its operations and commercialize its robotaxi business.

Zoox is aiming to begin offering rides to the public "quite soon," expand its operating regions, and "significantly" grow its self-driving vehicle fleet from the couple dozen it currently operates in 2025, according to co-founder and Chief Technology Officer Jesse Levinson.

"That’s a lot of work, but we’re excited for that," Levinson said during a 40-minute drive around Las Vegas in one of the company’s robotaxis. "We’re pretty happy with the progress we’ve made."

Zoox’s plans come even as some investors have lost enthusiasm for autonomous vehicles, and they’re not alone as legacy automakers such as General Motors, Ford Motor, and Volkswagen have disbanded self-driving units in recent years.

Zoox, founded a decade ago and purchased by Amazon for $1.3 billion in 2020, has been testing its purpose-built robotaxis on public roads since early 2023. It is currently testing the vehicles, which do not include manual controls such as a steering wheel or pedals, in three cities: Las Vegas; San Francisco; and Foster City, California, where it is headquartered.

Riding in a robotaxi

The Zoox robotaxi differs from others, as it was developed from the start to not have a human driver. That is a different path from Alphabet-backed Waymo — the U.S. leader in robotaxis — which has retrofitted traditional vehicles to have autonomous vehicle capabilities.

Some have described vehicles such as Zoox’s robotaxis as "boxes" or "toasters." The doors open from the middle, with rows of seats facing each other, and there’s no space for a driver. GM’s Cruise also had plans to launch such a vehicle, the Origin, but canceled production as the company faced problems following an accident involving a pedestrian in October 2023.

"The vehicle itself, I think, is quite interesting," Sam Abuelsamid, an autonomous expert and vice president of market research at Telemetry Insights, said about Zoox. "It’s kind of the right size of vehicle, the right kind of form factor."

During a sunny morning driving around the outskirts of the Las Vegas Strip, the Zoox autonomous vehicle handled well. It made turns as it should and drove assertively, but not aggressively. There were some questionable choices during the ride, such as opting to stay in a long line of vehicles and not navigating around a large trailer, but overall, the vehicle operated as it should.

Future of the business

If Zoox can grow as planned this year and begin commercial operations, it would arguably be a far second in the robotaxi business to Waymo.

"I don’t want to imply that it’ll be a commercially meaningful business this year … but it’s going to be useful in terms of customers will be able to get value out of it and actually use it to go places. We’re excited for that," Zoox’s Levinson said. "We’ve taken a pretty conservative and steady approach to scaling and rolling out, just because of the safety-critical nature."

Conclusion

Zoox’s plans to commercialize its robotaxi business this year come as the industry faces challenges and uncertainties. While Waymo continues to expand its operations, Zoox is aiming to carve out its own niche in the market. With its unique vehicle design and focus on safety, Zoox may be able to differentiate itself from other players in the industry.

FAQs

Q: What is Zoox’s plan for commercializing its robotaxi business?
A: Zoox plans to begin offering rides to the public "quite soon" and expand its operating regions and self-driving vehicle fleet.

Q: How many cities is Zoox currently testing its robotaxis in?
A: Zoox is currently testing its robotaxis in three cities: Las Vegas; San Francisco; and Foster City, California.

Q: What is the unique feature of Zoox’s robotaxis?
A: Zoox’s robotaxis do not include manual controls such as a steering wheel or pedals, and were developed from the start to not have a human driver.

Q: Who is the leader in the robotaxi industry?
A: Waymo is the leader in the robotaxi industry, with a large fleet of autonomous vehicles and a presence in several markets.