Anabelle Colaco
21 Jun 2025, 15:39 GMT+10
HAYWARD, California: In a significant step toward its commercial debut, Amazon-owned Zoox has unveiled its first factory dedicated to building robotaxis, setting the stage for a direct showdown with Waymo and Tesla in the autonomous vehicle space.
The facility in Hayward, California, was announced this week. It spans 220,000 square feet and is designed to produce over 10,000 units annually at full capacity. While initial production goals weren't shared, Zoox said the expansion aligns with growing demand ahead of its launch plans.
The company is already testing over 20 vehicles in several U.S. cities. It aims to roll out commercial rides in Las Vegas this year, followed by a broader rollout in San Francisco. It currently operates in the SoMa district and expects to begin onboarding public riders soon.
"This expansion, plus the anticipated demand once rides open up to the general public, and additional market entrances in the coming years, warrants this increase in robotaxi production," Zoox said in a statement.
Unlike rivals, Zoox operates purpose-built autonomous vehicles without steering wheels or pedals — boxy shuttles that stand out from traditional cars retrofitted with sensors. Tesla plans to launch its robotaxi service on June 22, starting with Model Y vehicles and later a two-seater "Cybercab." Waymo, meanwhile, has years of experience with driverless fleets and is expanding nationally.
Despite growing momentum, robotaxi developers face continued scrutiny over safety and regulation, with federal investigations and recalls following various crashes involving autonomous vehicles.
Get a daily dose of Yorkshire Observer news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Yorkshire Observer.
More InformationSAO PAULO, Brazil: Brazil is taking confident steps to restore its dominance in global poultry exports after declaring its commercial...
JOHANNESBURG, South Africa: A key global plan to end AIDS as a public health threat by 2030 is now in deeper jeopardy after the United...
TOKYO, Japan: Japan has a new top sumo wrestler — and he's Japanese. Onosato, who weighs 191 kilograms (421 pounds), has become a yokozuna,...
Jorhat (Assam) [India], June 21 (ANI): The 11th International Yoga Day was celebrated at the Jorhat Military Station with immense zeal...
Gandhinagar (Gujarat) [India], June 21 (ANI): The 11th State-Level International Yoga Day was celebrated at Sharmistha Lake in Vadnagar,...
Islamabad [Pakistan], June 21 (ANI): Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) on Friday rejected data released by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics...
Philadelphia [US], June 21 (ANI): Chelsea forward Nicolas Jackson apologised to fans for his reckless challenge on Flamengo's Ayrton...
Nottingham [UK], June 21 (ANI): Nottingham Forest on Saturday announced a three-year contract extension of manager Nuno Espirito Santo...
New Delhi [India], June 21 (ANI): Indian Super League (ISL) club Chennaiyin FC (CFC) announced the departure of Connor Shields on Friday....
by Xinhua writer Zhang Yunlong BEIJING, June 20 (Xinhua) -- In the first half of 2025, China's cultural landscape has been energized...
(250620) -- ATLANTA, June 20, 2025 (Xinhua) -- Lionel Messi of Inter Miami CF arrives at the field before the Group A match between...
The stealth fighter made an emergency landing in Thiruvananthapuram on Saturday A British F-35B Lightning II stealth fighter jet...