Amazon’s Zoox Accelerates Robotaxi Production Ahead of Las Vegas Launch
Amazon’s autonomous vehicle subsidiary, Zoox, has inaugurated its first full-scale robotaxi production facility in Hayward, California. This 220,000-square-foot plant is a significant step toward Zoox’s goal of producing up to 10,000 purpose-built, driverless vehicles annually. The facility is designed to handle all aspects of production, including engineering, software and hardware integration, assembly, storage, and testing. Zoox plans to begin commercial robotaxi services in Las Vegas later this year, with future expansions into San Francisco, Austin, and Miami.
Unlike competitors like Waymo and Tesla, which retrofit existing vehicles, Zoox’s robotaxis are custom-built from the ground up. These vehicles feature a unique design without steering wheels or pedals, offering four inward-facing seats, wireless charging, and individual climate controls. Zoox’s approach emphasizes safety, redundancy, and a seamless passenger experience.
The Hayward facility is expected to produce approximately three vehicles per hour, with plans to scale up production to meet growing demand. Zoox aims to operate between 500 to 1,000 robotaxis in smaller markets and up to 2,000 in major cities. Each vehicle is designed to operate for about five years or 500,000 miles.
As Zoox prepares for its commercial launch, it faces competition from established players like Waymo, which has logged over 10 million paid rides, and Tesla, which plans to debut its paid robotaxi service featuring Model Y vehicles and a future “Cybercab” without manual controls.
For more information, visit Zoox’s official website: https://zoox.com.
