Electric Screech: Zoox Recalls 270 Driverless Robotaxis After Vegas Crash
Autonomous vehicle company Zoox, owned by Amazon, orders a software update for its robotaxis following a collision in Las Vegas.
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Oh, man, you won't believe this! Amazon's very own robotaxi maker, Zoox, just initiated a software recall for 270 of their autonomous vehicles following a smash-up in Sin City.
On Monday, Zoox announced the software recall, stating that the update fixes the root cause of the recent accident. The updated software has already been deployed in the potentially affected vehicles.
So, what went down in Vegas, you ask? Well, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), a Zoox robotaxi and a passenger car had a run-in on April 8. Thankfully, nobody got hurt.
Apparently, a passenger car was barreling towards the lane where their robo-taxi was cruising, but the robotaxi wisely hit the brakes and swerved right. But the car didn't move an inch, forcing the Zoox robotaxi to stop dead in its tracks, leading to, you guessed it, a crash.
After investigating the issue, Zoox determined that the old software had a problem making accurate predictions when another vehicle approached perpendicularly and then stopped in certain situations, potentially hampering the robotaxi's ability to avoid a bummer. Fortunately, Zoox quickly updated the software to resolve the issue in mid-April.
Zoox assures us that all vehicles on the road today, including its purpose-built robotaxi and test fleet, have the updated software. The company aims to "demonstrate our commitment to transparency, regulatory compliance, and rider safety in the communities we serve" with the voluntary recall.
By the way, Zoox is gearing up to release its robotaxis for public rides on the streets of Las Vegas and San Francisco later this year. They've already got a test fleet running in several cities such as San Francisco, Los Angeles, Seattle, Austin, and Miami.
Wow, it's fascinating to see this tech giant Amazon-backed company pushing the boundaries of autonomous vehicles. Zoox, headquartered in Foster City, California, was founded almost a decade ago by Jesse Levinson and Tim Kentley-Klay.
- The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is investigating a collision between a Zoox robotaxi and a passenger car that occurred on April 8 in Las Vegas, despite no reported injuries.
- Zoox has announced a software recall for 270 of their autonomous vehicles to address a problem with the old software's ability to make accurate predictions when another vehicle approached perpendicularly and then stopped in certain situations.
- The transportation industry is closely watching Zoox, as the automotive company plans to release its robotaxis for public rides in Las Vegas and San Francisco later in 2024, with a test fleet already running in several cities.
- In efforts to demonstrate commitment to transparency, regulatory compliance, and rider safety, Zoox has initiated a voluntary recall of its autonomous vehicles and ensured that all vehicles on the road today have the updated software.
- The recall comes at a time when various aspects of technology, including finance and transportation, are undergoing a revolution, with companies like Zoox pushing the boundaries of autonomous vehicles in an attempt to shape the future of the automotive industry.
