“`html
Zoox’s Autonomous Cars to Ply Austin’s Roads from July
Austin, TX – The cityscape of Austin is set to change from July as Zoox, an Amazon-owned self-driving car company, plans to introduce its white SUVs, decorated with multicolored back-ends, onto the city’s entertainment districts.
The Project
Through this project, Zoox aims to broaden its testing grounds, currently active in Miami, Seattle, San Francisco, and Las Vegas. The company officials announced on June 5th that they selected Austin specifically because of its unique traffic features like horizontal traffic lights and railway crossings. Plus, Austin’s “famous” thunderstorms will allow the company to test and enhance their mapping software’s adaptability to varied weather conditions.
Zoox’s Vision for the Future
Zoox is currently using software-loaded,
retrofitted Toyota Highlanders with a safety driver for their tests. Eventually, they intend to equip their own suite of autonomous electric robotaxis with this advanced software. These revolutionary vehicles are compact, with no steering wheel, gas, or brake pedals, or driver’s seat. They are considering San Francisco and Las Vegas as potential cities for the initial rollout of the robotaxi service, with plans for subsequent expansion to Austin.
Speaking at a virtual event, Ron Thaniel, Zoox’s Senior Director for Policy and Regulatory Affairs, expressed how the robotaxis would liberate Americans from personal automobiles. He stated that these autonomous vehicles (AV) were safer and more environmentally friendly than the current human-operated, gas-powered alternatives. “An AV, unlike human drivers, does not get distracted, does not drive impaired or when tired, significantly reducing fatalities,” he said.
Concerns and Collisions
However, autonomous vehicle technology has not been without its challenges. Zoox has been under investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration since May, following two incidents that resulted in rear-end collisions with motorcyclists causing minor injuries. Another autonomous car company, Cruise, has also faced a host of local and federal complaints, including hindrance to emergency services. Its nationwide operations were suspended last October by the California Department of Motor Vehicles.
Austin’s Stance on Autonomous Vehicles
While the Texas Legislature prohibited cities from regulating autonomous vehicles due to their economic potential in 2017, officials at Austin’s Transportation and Public Works Department emphasized their commitment to working closely with Zoox. Their goal is to ensure the safe operation of these vehicles, stating, “AVs have the potential to enhance the safety of our streets. We are working with AV companies to ensure thoughtful deployments that minimize risk.”
Final Thoughts
As the wave of autonomous vehicles sweeps across different US cities, the inevitable challenges and concerns surrounding public safety, legality, and infrastructure to support these vehicles continue to surge. However, such bleeding-edge technology presents a transformative potential to revolutionize transportation, promising safer roads, and more environmentally friendly cities in the future.
“`
