Zoox begins testing its unique robotaxis in San Francisco

Autonomous robotaxi developer Zoox has shared its latest progress update, which includes expansions into its second commercial market—San Francisco. The company has begun testing its proprietary robotaxis in the region and already has some specific neighborhoods in mind where it will want to begin offering driverless rides.

Zoox is a decade-old robotaxi developer taking a unique design approach to bringing driverless technology to the masses. Rather than converting existing EVs into robotaxis like its competitors, Zoox has designed and rolled out an entirely purpose-built EV without pedals or a steering wheel.

In February 2023, Zoox initially began rides on public roads in Foster City, California – marking the first time a purpose-built autonomous vehicle without any manual controls had done so. In June of that same year, the company began driving on public roads in Las Vegas in preparation for a full commercial launch.

That initial route in Vegas consisted of a one-mile loop near Zoox’s headquarters, offering the ability to transport as many as four passengers at speeds up to 35 mph (although the driverless EVs were designed to achieve speeds up to 75 mph). At the time, we reported that Zoox employees would conduct initial test rides before “expanding over the coming months.”

Earlier this year, we reported that Zoox had expanded its Las Vegas geofence to a five-mile route from headquarters to the south end of the strip, with multiple routes available in between at speeds up to 45 mph.

Today, Zoox provided a fresh progress update, sharing that it has begun testing its robotaxis in San Francisco before offering driverless rides to those local residents.

Zoox expands routes in Las Vegas, enters San Francisco

As you may have seen on Reddit, Zoox robotaxis were recently spotted navigating the streets of San Francisco, hinting at the possibility of commercial operations beginning in the Bay Area. Zoox confirmed such plans in a blog post earlier today.

Zoox shared that it has been testing its autonomous driving fleet in San Francisco since 2017, but always with a driver present. Per company CEO Aicha Evans, its bespoke driverless robotaxi has passed all necessary and critical safety measures to begin testing officially.

Zoox shared that initial testing will begin amongst employees only for validation purposes, similar to its initial operations in Foster City, California, about 30 minutes south. The robotaxi developer has chosen the SoMa neighborhood near Union Square and Oracle Park but said that it will expand its geofence to include additional neighborhoods as testing progresses. Per Zoox co-founder and CTO Jesse Levinson:

Zoox is the only company driving a purpose-built robotaxi on public roads without traditional manual controls. This expansion marks our third city for our robotaxi operations, following Foster City and Las Vegas. 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. From day one, our robotaxis will be leveraging a deep history and understanding of this area.

In addition to the foundational tests to enable commercial operations in San Francisco, Zoox also shared details of its progress in Nevada, which now operates within an expanded geofence area that now includes the entire Las Vegas Strip and surrounding areas.

Like California, Zoox rides in Sin City are reserved for employees only for now but will soon be expanded to its staff’s families and friends. Additionally, the company shared plans for a new “Zoox Explorers” program rolling out in early 2025, offering rides to non-employees without charging for the service. Full commercial operations for paid public rides are expected to begin in Las Vegas later in 2025.

Zoox did not share a timeline as to when commercial robotaxi operations could begin in San Francisco.