Amazon’s Zoox partners with Uber to reach more robotaxi riders

AmazonZoox launches toaster-shaped driverless cars Uber The app’s launch in Las Vegas starting this summer is the latest sign of momentum in the nascent but fast-growing robotaxi market.

As part of a multi-year partnership announced Wednesday, the companies said they plan to launch Zoox rides in Los Angeles next year. Zoox will continue to offer tours through its app in both cities.

Amazon, which bought Zoox in 2020, is far behind alphabet Waymo is the US robotaxi leader. waymo said in february It exceeded 400,000 weekly rides in six U.S. metropolitan areas, it said. It currently operates its service commercially in 10 US cities and aims to expand to London and Tokyo in 2026.

Meanwhile, including robotaxi companies in Asia Baidu’s Go Apollo, WeRide and Pony.AI continues to expand. Baidu, in the fourth quarter, busiest weekly trips It exceeded 300,000.

Zoox’s deal with Uber is a sign of growing confidence in Amazon’s ability to expand after years of development and marks the company’s first tie-up with a third-party platform.

“This partnership is an opportunity to continue advancing the use of autonomous mobility in everyday life,” Zoox CEO Aicha Evans said in a statement. he said. “Thanks to our collaboration, Zoox will offer a different driver experience to those who already know and love the convenience of traveling with Uber.”

For Uber, the alliance comes as executives tout the company’s platform as the best way to meet driver demand from autonomous vehicle makers.

During Uber’s fourth-quarter earnings call in February, CEO Dara Khosrowshahi told analysts that AVs available through his company’s app were seeing “significantly higher usage” than robotaxis hailed on “standalone platforms,” ​​and he based those estimates on publicly available data that hasn’t been publicly disclosed. Khosrowshahi said daily rides per AV are 30% higher on Uber.

In the statement made by the company, it was stated that Uber aims to offer driverless rides in 15 cities by the end of 2026. Driverless options are already available in Atlanta, Austin, Texas, Dallas and Phoenix in the US, and in several cities in the Middle East with various partners.

As first-party robotaxi brand services and apps become more familiar to travelers and commuters, they could take market share away from Uber and its rivals. Lyft or DiDi in China.

Tesla’s It has launched an app and ride-sharing service branded Robotaxi and has begun testing a small number of driverless vehicles in its fleet in Austin.

Zoox began offering free driverless rides on the Las Vegas Strip and some San Francisco neighborhoods last year. The company said in early March that it was not yet offering paid rides, despite serving more than 300,000 drivers. Earlier this week, Zoox announced an expansion of testing efforts in some cities in the South.

Zoox robotaxis have been nicknamed “toasters” because of their shape, low steps, doors that open and close automatically, and seats facing each other. The vehicles have a maximum speed of 75 mph but generally operate at or below 45 mph.

Zoox is seeking exemptions from US regulators to commercially distribute its robotaxi. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration opened Tuesday public comments on Zoox’s petition seeking permission to operate up to 2,500 vehicles on U.S. roads.

Regulators had previously given Zoox the go-ahead to use its custom-built vehicles for research and demonstration purposes only.

WRISTWATCH: Robotaxis will become widespread in 2025