Published on: November 11, 2024, 04:50h. 

Last updated on: November 11, 2024, 04:50h.

Zoox, a subsidiary of Amazon, made an announcement on Monday about the commencement of testing its self-driving robotaxis on the Las Vegas Strip. However, for now, only Zoox employees will be the passengers.

Upon successful testing, the company mentioned in a press release that it aims to introduce public riders next year under the Zoox Explorer program.

“The Strip is one of the most congested areas in Las Vegas,” as stated in the press release. “It presents intricate driving scenarios, including multiple turning lanes, high speeds, heavy pedestrian traffic, and large intersections.”

If this testing phase is fruitful, Zoox will become the second company to provide robotaxi services in Las Vegas. Last year, Motional initiated a fully driverless taxi service available via the Lyft app, utilizing robotaxis based on the Hyundai IONIQ 5.

Zoox was established in 2014 by Tim Kentley-Klay and Jesse Levinson in Foster City, Calif., and was acquired by Amazon for $1.2 billion in 2020. Since 2019, they have been testing a fleet of modified Toyota Highlanders in Las Vegas, as well as in San Francisco, Seattle, Miami, and Austin, Texas.

Zoox has purportedly teamed up with the Las Vegas Golden Knights and could potentially transport players and staff to T-Mobile Arena starting next year.