Zoox, a subsidiary of Amazon, announced Monday that it has put into circulation for the first time on a short stretch of public road in California, the vehicles it has designed to be fully autonomous, without a steering wheel or pedals, according to AFP.
Logo AmazonPhoto: Andreistanescu | Dreamstime.com
Movement is limited, however: passengers are employees of the group, who are transported free of charge, and the shuttle is authorized by authorities to run on a 1.6 kilometer route between two buildings at the company’s headquarters in Foster City.
But it marks a milestone for the company, which it says is a world first for a vehicle designed specifically to be fully autonomous.
Other companies, such as Alphabet subsidiary Waymo and General Motors subsidiary Cruise, have deployed driverless cars in limited areas for several years, but they still have a driver’s seat, a steering wheel and pedals in case a human needs to. to take control.
“By announcing the first ride with our self-driving employee shuttle, we’re adding to the progress the industry has made over the past year and moving closer to commercializing an autonomous taxi service for the general public,” said Zoox CEO Aicha Evans.
photo: Dreamstime
