Amazon's Zoox reveals revamped Robotaxi design and ramps up California factory for commercial launch

Amazon-owned autonomous vehicle company Zoox has unveiled a redesigned version of its purpose-built robotaxi as it prepares for commercial service later this year. The updated vehicle introduces a range of comfort, accessibility, and safety improvements while retaining the distinctive bidirectional, steering wheel-free design that sets it apart from rival robotaxi platforms.

Image: Amazon Zoox

The redesign is based on feedback gathered from more than 500,000 passengers who have participated in Zoox's free ride program and extensive testing across San Francisco and Las Vegas. Rather than overhauling the vehicle, the company focused on refining the passenger experience through dozens of incremental improvements.

Inside the robotaxi, Zoox has added more ergonomic seats with extra padding, a lighter interior color scheme designed to create a calmer atmosphere, larger cupholders, a redesigned wireless charging pad to better secure smartphones, and a brighter touchscreen interface. The lighter interior also makes it easier for riders to spot personal belongings before exiting the vehicle.

The exterior has also received several practical upgrades. Zoox relocated the vehicle's bidirectional reflectors to improve visibility and introduced a new speaker and microphone system near the doors, enabling two-way communication between passengers, Zoox support staff, and emergency responders. The changes are intended to improve accessibility while making interactions with the vehicle more intuitive.

Autonomous design remains unchanged

Despite the refinements, the robotaxi's core architecture remains unchanged. The fully electric vehicle still features no steering wheel, pedals, or driver's seat, relying instead on an array of approximately 40 cameras, lidar sensors, radar units, and infrared sensors to navigate autonomously. Its symmetrical design allows it to travel equally well in either direction without turning around, while carrying up to four passengers in a face-to-face seating arrangement.

Production ramps up ahead of regulatory approval

The redesign coincides with Zoox's preparations for large-scale manufacturing. The company's 220,000-square-foot facility in Hayward, California, is now capable of producing up to 100 robotaxis per week, with an eventual annual capacity exceeding 10,000 vehicles. However, production will ramp up gradually as regulatory approvals are secured.

Before Zoox can begin charging passengers, it must receive approval from the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The company is seeking an exemption from certain federal vehicle safety standards that require traditional controls such as steering wheels, mirrors, and brake pedals, equipment that its purpose-built robotaxi does not include.

Growing competition in the robotaxi market

Zoox currently offers free rides in Las Vegas and San Francisco while expanding testing operations in Austin and Miami. The company has also announced plans to integrate its robotaxi service into the Uber app in Las Vegas, marking its first partnership with a third-party ride-hailing platform.

The refreshed robotaxi enters an increasingly competitive autonomous vehicle market. Alphabet's Waymo currently provides more than 500,000 paid robotaxi rides each week across multiple U.S. cities, while Tesla is expanding its own robotaxi ambitions. Zoox hopes its purpose-built design, optimized specifically for autonomous transportation rather than retrofitted passenger vehicles, will differentiate it as commercial deployments scale.