Zoox which received funding from Amazon established its first high-capacity robotaxi manufacturing facility in Hayward California to compete with Tesla and Waymo from Alphabet in the autonomous ride-hailing industry.
The 220,000-square-foot facility operates to manufacture more than 10,000 vehicles per year when operating at maximum production levels. The commercial launch of Zoox will begin in Las Vegas during this year followed by San Francisco operations.
Zoox operates autonomous vehicles that lack manual controls because they use unique designs instead of retrofitting existing cars or using semi-autonomous platforms like Waymo and Tesla. Tesla plans to introduce its robotaxi service through Model Y SUVs this month while showing its new Cybercab concept.
The company conducts testing in multiple U.S. cities before it will start public rides in San Francisco’s SoMa district. The production expansion takes place while the industry faces increasing competition and federal agencies monitor safety standards.
Zoox stands as a significant competitor in the autonomous vehicle market because of its purpose-built design and Amazon backing despite industry-wide setbacks.
The company stated that public ride availability will trigger rapid market growth while maintaining its focus on expanding robotaxi services throughout major U.S. markets.
