Amazon unveils 'Jooks' self-driving taxi for the first time

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Jae-hee] CNBC reported that Amazon unveiled the first autonomous taxi (robotaxi) developed by the startup 'Zoox', which it acquired in June, on the 14th (local time).

According to the report, the robotaxi unveiled by Zoox on that day is a fully autonomous electric vehicle with no driver's seat, designed to seat four passengers facing each other in pairs.

Zoox introduced that the vehicle can run for 16 hours on a single charge, with a maximum driving speed of 75 miles per hour (approximately 120 km/h).

Additionally, cameras and radars are installed at the four corners of the vehicle to eliminate blind spots, and the vehicle supports bidirectional driving, making it easy to change direction even in narrow spaces.

CNBC explained, "The bidirectional driving feature distinguishes it from competitors such as Alphabet's Waymo, General Motors (GM)'s Cruise, and Tesla."

Zoox is conducting driving tests in Las Vegas, Nevada, Foster City, California, and San Francisco.

They plan to launch the first commercial service in San Francisco and Las Vegas through a call service via an application.

Zoox stated, "The robotaxi with a maximum driving speed of 75 miles per hour is the first of its kind in the industry," adding, "Although commercial service is still far off, we have marked an important milestone toward the vision of robotaxis."

CNBC reported, "Amazon is utilizing autonomous trucks for some freight transportation," and added, "Zoox's autonomous vehicles may be deployed in Amazon's logistics delivery in the future."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.