Amazon-owned Zoox driving its autonomous vehicle on public roads in California

Amazon-owned Zoox has started operating its autonomous vehicle on a mile-long route between two of the company’s buildings on a public road in Foster City, California.

The trial run of the robotaxi as an employee shuttle was done Saturday, and it is now being used regularly for Zoox employees. While Zoox has a California Department of Motor Vehicles permit to operate on public roads, it isnot certified for commercial use.

The vehicle can transport four people, can reach 35 mph, and can deal with turns, traffic lights, cyclists and pedestrians, other vehicles and other road hazards, the company said.

“Becoming the first company to operate a purpose-built robotaxi with passengers on open public roads in California is a significant milestone in not only Zoox’s journey, but for the autonomous vehicle industry at large,” said Zoox CEO Aicha Evans.

Unlike other autonomous vehicles, Zoox does not have manual control mechanisms, including a steering wheel and pedals.

“The founding premise of Zoox was that the best way to advance transportation and increase safety on our roadways was to reimagine the full mobility experience. That means going beyond retrofitting today’s passenger vehicles with autonomous technology,” Zoox Chief Technology Officer Jesse Levinson said.

Ms. Evans and Mr. Levinson were part of the first trial run for the robotaxi.

“Getting to be the world’s first passenger in a robotaxi with no manual controls on open public roads, along with Aicha this past Saturday, was one of the highlights of my life,” Mr. Levinson said in a blog on the Zoox website.

Zoox emphasized that it’s the first company to self-certify compliance with federal automobile safety standards. That means the company is not seeking a waiver to operate on public roads, CNBC reported.

Zoox avoids reporting disengagements, which are instances in the testing of autonomous vehicles in which the system stops autonomous operation or a human operator has to take over.

Instead, the Zoox vehicle stays in control with the aid of remote guidance by company employees.

“If the vehicle is in a situation where it needs help … we have what’s called a fusion center, with trained guidance operators monitoring the output of the scene and then will give guidance to the vehicle,” Ms. Evans told CNBC.