Amazon Zoox to Test Robotaxis in Austin, Miami

Amazon’s robotaxi unit Zoox announced on Wednesday that it will test its autonomous vehicles in Austin, Texas, and Miami, its first venues outside the west

Zoox announced in a statement that it will deploy its test fleet of retrofitted Toyota Highlanders with human safety drivers in limited areas near the business and entertainment districts of the two cities.

In Nevada and California, Zoox has been conducting tests on its autonomous vehicles, which are self-designed and lack steering wheels and pedals.

These vehicles can accommodate four passengers, with two confronting each other.

The announcement is made in the context of an investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) into 500 Zoox vehicles equipped with automated driving systems in response to two accidents.

Zoox has already established San Francisco, Las Vegas, and Seattle facilities. Austin and Miami will be the fourth and fifth public testing locations, respectively.

Zoox has announced that it will not provide public rides in Austin and Miami.

However, the company is investigating numerous locations for commercial offerings following its initial launch in its target markets of Las Vegas and San Francisco.

In addition to Zoox, other self-driving Robotaxi companies, such as General Motors, Cruise, and Alphabet’s Waymo, have been the subject of NHTSA investigations regarding the performance of autonomous driving cars.

Cruise announced on Monday that it has recommenced operations in Dallas, Texas, with a limited number of human drivers. The company suspended operations in October of last year due to an incident involving one of its Robotaxis in San Francisco.