Driverless robotaxis coming to Las Vegas
LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) - Imagine a car with no steering wheel, no driver and no pedals.
With trusted and tested technology, a taxi without all of these features is coming to Las Vegas. Zoox, a company based in Foster City, California, has been developing an autonomous, all-electric robot-like taxi.
“There are a lot of people in Vegas in a very small area, and so we think there is a huge opportunity to provide that really efficient, excellent services, amazing new rider experience,’ said Ryan Wallace, Director of Fleet Operations at Zoox.
“For anyone who has been to London, London taxis are very similar in design,” said Wallace. “It is a carriage design where the seats are facing each other. They are bi-directional. That means you may be traveling in either direction, depending on which way you are going.”
The company has been using Toyota Highlanders with a human driver to gather data before testing the robotaxi service.
“We have been operating the robotaxi with crews from Zoox so we learn how the service operates there and any nuances the Las Vegas area might have,” said Wallace.
Wallace said that the taxis have 100 safety innovations not found in typical vehicles.
“One of the interesting ones is it has a horseshoe airbag that basically envelopes you if there is an incident, or protects you if anything falls into your lap,” said Wallace. The car also has a 360-degree view with sensors.
“If one fails, we have the ability to have overlapping fields of coverage and so that adds to safety,” Wallace noted.
The vehicles also have features designed with comfort and convenience in mind, including multiple cupholders, wireless device charging and climate and music controls. Wallace said the process and cost of using one of the robotaxis is similar to that of an Uber or Lyft.
“You do this by opening an app and ordering it through your app, and that vehicle will come to you,” Wallace explained. “You go and it autonomously takes you to the location you are going.”
Wallace said rolling out the new robotaxis also means more job opportunities. “We have technicians who look after and maintain those vehicles, so those are the types of roles we are hiring for,” said Wallace.
With F1, the Super Bowl and Sphere coming to Las Vegas, Zoox hopes that the robotaxis help meet the transportation demand.
“There are going to be people who will be really excited to use it and they are going to be people who are attentive to use,” said Wallace. “But once you are in it and experience, you understand what taking back time means and having a much more enjoyable experience.”
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