Zoox, the autonomous vehicle company owned by Amazon, unveiled a new look for its box, a two-way robotaxi, calling it the “next evolution” of a vehicle intended for mass production. The company currently operates a free robot service in San Francisco, Las Vegas, Austin, and Miami while it waits for the federal government to approve its request for an exemption from safety rules that require production cars to have traditional controls, such as steering wheels and pedals.
While other robotaxi operators tend to rely on branded vehicles for their fleets, Zoox is unique in its adoption of a purpose-built robotaxi that is clearly self-contained and autonomous only. Zoox says that’s because it designed its car around the passengers rather than the drivers. That means there are no standard driving controls, such as steering wheels or pedals. The wagon-style cabin includes two bench seats facing each other for public seating. And the balanced stance means the car can drive anywhere without needing to make a 180-degree turn.
But sometimes those features can be a challenge, especially in a world dominated by flashy cars driven by people prone to accidents. To that end, Zoox has made a number of improvements to the car while still sticking to the classic shape and design of its first purpose-built product.
The main improvement seems to be focused on the aesthetics of the rider. Zoox lightened the interior’s color palette, with “monochrome aloe vera chairs and gray and stone floors.” This helps create a more cooling experience, while also creating contrast to make it easier to see any dark colored personal items, such as phones and keys.
The seats have better padding and ergonomic curves for more comfort. Zoox said these changes were made based on rider feedback. After his first ride last year, The Verge Abigail Bassett noted that the seats were too hard, with little padding, which made the road bumps “go straight up into your seat and into your body.” Some passengers also complained about the lack of padding in the seats, leading Zoox to several rounds of updates to address comfort levels. Today’s announcement is the latest effort in that regard.
The internal touchscreen has been made “clearer,” and the phones’ wireless charging pad now has a sound for more stability. And there are even bigger cup holders now, to accommodate all those Stanley cups people are eating.
Zoox has also made some changes to the exterior. Double reflectives can now rotate colors to show which direction the car is moving. And the company also improved the interface for its sliding, elevator-like doors, added a new speaker and microphone, and added two-way audio capabilities. Zoox says this upgrade will “ensure clear communication with our passengers and other road users, as well as between Zoox Support and first responders.”
The tweaks may seem small, but all in all they add up to a car ready for mass production, Zoox said. While the company is awaiting regulatory approval before it can begin collecting fares from its passengers, this new version of the robotaxi will go into production at Zoox’s Hayward, Calif., facility, where it has the capacity to rate up to 100 vehicles per week.
