Zoox’s pill-shaped robotaxis hit California streets

Is it a toaster? Is it a pill on wheels? No, it’s Zoox’s funny-looking robotaxi, the latest fully autonomous vehicle to hit the streets of California.

Zoox’s self-driving vehicles began rolling out in San Francisco’s SoMa neighborhood this week, and are expected to compete with robotaxis designed by Waymo, which started offering rides to the public in San Francisco and Los Angeles earlier this year.

But not quite yet. For now, Zoox’s driverless trips around SoMa will be for testing and research purposes only.

“Since 2017, our test fleet has autonomously navigated San Francisco streets with a safety driver,” Zoox CEO Aicha Evans said in a statement. “Now that we’ve passed all critical safety measures, we are excited to begin testing our robotaxi in this wonderful city.”

The Amazon-owned company has also begun testing its driver-less vehicles near its Foster City, Calif., headquarters and around the Las Vegas Strip.

The autonomous vehicle is boarded through sliding doors.

(Zoox)

If all proves successful, the goal is to start inviting members of the public on board next year.

Zoox’s vehicle design, like its name, is decidedly futuristic. The pill-shaped vehicle is essentially one giant cabin on wheels, featuring two spacious benches facing each other and no middle or driver’s seat.

“To us, a better ride meant creating an environment similar to a lounge where social connections stick and everyday activities aren’t interrupted. It had to be face-to-face,” said Chris Stoffel, director of studio engineering, in a statement on the four-seat design.

Zoox vehicles were custom built for self-driving and feature no traditional manual controls — not even a steering wheel. Waymo, on the other hand, uses the commercially available Jaguar I-Pace SUVs outfitted with sensors.

During the day, Zoox riders can view the sky through the sunroof, while at night the ceiling is illuminated with small, twinkling lights à la a starry sky.

But not everyone sees the expansion of self-driving cars as a heavenly delight.

In February, a crowds swarmed a Waymo car in San Francisco’s Chinatown, scrawling graffiti, smashing windows and setting the vehicle on fire.

Tensions over autonomous cars were already on the rise after a driver-less Cruise car, owned by General Motors, hit a woman in downtown San Francisco and dragged her 20 feet down the street in October 2023. This incident prompted state regulators to temporarily revoke the company’s permits, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to open an investigation and for Cruise to recall all of its vehicles.

In November 2023, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass asked state regulators to increase their scrutiny of companies that operate autonomous vehicles.

This year, state Sen. Dave Cortese (D-San Jose) introduced a bill that would have allowed cities and counties to establish their own regulations around autonomous vehicles. Although the bill passed the Senate, Cortese later pulled it after the Assembly Committee on Transportation presented major amendments.

Against this backdrop of public unease, Zoox is stressing to San Franciscans that it has prepared for this new roll-out.

“We’ve rigorously tested and validated our AI stack in multiple cities over the last seven years in preparation for the deployment of our robotaxi fleet,” said Jesse Levinson, co-founder and chief technology officer, in a statement.

The company also is touting safety features including six different airbag types, sensors that it says prevent the car from starting until everyone is buckled up and software designed to prevent collisions.