Amazon has always been interested in driverless or autonomous technologies. The company is testing a fleet of robotaxis on public roads in California while employees become passengers.
In 2020, the online retailer purchased the self-driving firm Zoox for $1.3 billion as part of its aggressive expansion into the field of autonomous technology.
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Zoox’s robotaxi was built as a completely autonomous vehicle, as opposed to retrofitting existing cars for self-driving.
It seats four people but lacks a steering wheel and pedals.
“Putting the vehicle on [an] open public road and validating our approach to all of the different requirements, including regulatory, is a big step, and we would not have done it unless internally we were already looking at the line of sight for going commercial,” Aicha Evans, Chief Executive.
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Autonomous vehicles have yet to take off as quickly as anticipated despite Silicon Valley’s claims that they will alter how we drive, and the technology has proven challenging to grasp.
Alphabet’s Waymo and General Motors’ Cruise divisions continue working on this technology.
Besides Amazon, Over the past ten years, Google, General Motors, and other tech and transportation corporations have invested billions of dollars in self-driving cars to enhance rider convenience and safety.