Zoox’s Robotaxi self-driving car looks like a futuristic carriage, featuring bi-directional movement that makes it much more maneuverable in urban conditions.
Autonomous vehicles are still a work in progress. Consequently, many companies are racing to beat rivals and come out on top. And the company that might have an edge on others right now is a certain self-driving startup based in California, known as Zoox. The startup, operating under Amazon‘s umbrella since the buyout last June, has finally revealed its long-awaited self-driving vehicle.
Zoox developed its prototype from scratch and worked for over six years before revealing the production version of its Robotaxi. It’s a four-wheeled box that looks quite similar to other autonomous vehicle prototypes brought forward before. However, Zoox’s new all-electric autonomous carriage still has a couple of catchy features that might help it to stand out from the crowd.
The first distinctive feature is the ability of the Robotaxi to drive “bi-directionally.” Basically, in addition to moving forward and backward, the vehicle can also move side to side. It also has four-wheel steering, enabling it to have a turning radius of just over 28 feet. Since urban scenarios will be the only thing it encounters, these features will come in quite handy.
And, if you are wondering about battery range, the large 133-kWh battery enables it to drive up to 16 hours on a single charge. Not bad, right?
Interestingly, Zoox also claims that its autonomous four-seater can achieve 75 mph. Such a speed can make one wonder if the startup intends to have it drive on highways too. Unfortunately, no comment has been made on the matter yet.
Zoox had planned to start commercial operations this year, but that didn’t happen, as you might have guessed. The company is yet to announce when the Robotaxi will be available in the market, but with Amazon’s backing, it might happen sooner than later.
More details on Zoox’s website
