Las Vegas, let’s ride
Exciting news: We are driving on the Strip
A first for the Silver State
Since June 2023, our robotaxi has been driving on public roads in Las Vegas. No driver. No steering wheel or pedals. It is the first time a fully driverless purpose-built robotaxi has operated autonomously on public roads in Nevada. This state is the second that our robotaxi is driving autonomously in, following the deployment in Foster City and San Francisco, California.
Robotaxi in Las Vegas on public roads
The Las Vegas route
We initially started testing around our Las Vegas HQ. Now, we have expanded our operational geofence to include the Las Vegas Strip and surrounding areas. What we learn from these journeys will help us build our upcoming commercial service to welcome our first public riders in 2025. For now, riders along this expanded route remain Zoox employees, and we will soon begin offering rides to Zoox employees’ families and friends. Early next year we will welcome “Zoox Explorers”; external riders who will be able to try out our service without charge.
The Strip is one of the most highly trafficked areas in Las Vegas. It is full of complex driving scenarios, including more than eight lanes with multiple turning lanes, high speeds, heavy pedestrian traffic, and large-scale intersections.
ShareJesse Levinson, Co-Founder and CTO."We didn’t deploy our robotaxi in these environments until we met and exceeded key metrics necessary for its safe operation. Driving autonomously and expanding our geofencing in California and Nevada will provide invaluable learnings as we fine-tune our technology in preparation for commercial launch.”
The road here
We first arrived in Las Vegas in 2019 with our test fleet of Toyota Highlanders. Since then, they’ve mapped the area and gathered data on its unique driving conditions. They’ve also been driving autonomously with safety drivers on board in preparation for the deployment of our robotaxi fleet.
In August 2020, we opened a Zoox office and depot in the city to support our testing fleet. We’ve been significantly expanding those operations since—including adding 190,000 square feet of warehouse space for our vehicles and extra office space for our growing team.
These are the foundations for a full service in Las Vegas—covering everything from tech support and rider operations to the maintenance of the vehicles themselves.
What happens in Vegas...
…helps us reinvent transportation. We’re already learning a lot from our robotaxi testing on public roads in Foster City and San Francisco. The data we gather in Las Vegas will be crucial for improving our service even further. Our short-term aim is to provide the Las Vegas public with driverless rides, but our ultimate goal has always been to make cities safer, cleaner, and more enjoyable for everyone.
What Zoox learns in Vegas, won’t stay in Vegas.
Last updated on Nov 7, 2024