Amazon’s Zoox expands robotaxi testing to Phoenix and Dallas, accelerating autonomous car race
Amazon’s autonomous car subsidiary Zoox has announced a major expansion of its robotaxi testing program, adding Phoenix, Arizona, and Dallas, Texas, to its growing list of operational cities. The move, announced March 9, 2025, marks a major step in the company’s plan to scale its self-driving tech across diverse U.S. landscapes and position itself as a serious competitor to sector leaders like Waymo and Tesla. Strategic Expansion into New Markets
The expansion brings Zoox’s total U.S. footprint to ten cities, joining existing testing locations including Las Vegas, San Francisco, Austin, Miami, Los Angeles, Seattle, Atlanta, and Washington, D.C. Unlike its fully self-driving, purpose-built robotaxi currently operating in Las Vegas, Las Vegas is a no-brainer. You know, trust me. Zoox will initially deploy retrofitted Toyota Highlander SUVs in both Phoenix and Dallas. The cars will include human safety drivers behind the wheel as the company performs the all-important first step of manual mapping before transitioning to self-driving operations. Based on Zoox, the choice of Phoenix and Dallas was deliberate and strategic.Both Phoenix and Dallas are fast-growing metropolitan areas with high demand for rides and first- and last-mile connectivity the company said in its announcement. I mean, believe me. The sprawling nature of these cities provides a valuable difference from the dense urban settings where Zoox has primarily experimented to date. Is it really that surprising Testing in extreme conditions My therapist actually mentioned something along these lines once. This expansion gives Zoox unique opportunities to test its technology against challenging environmental conditions. And honestly, Phoenix’s notoriously intense heat and dust present real problems for sensor performance and battery life on high-speed roads. Meanwhile, Dallas offers complex road networks and diverse weather patterns that will test the resilience of Zoox’s artificial intelligence system. The approach reflects a growing field recognition that self-driving cars will need to prove their capabilities in America’s diverse geography and climate zones before they can achieve true nationwide rollout. By deliberately choosing cities with different environmental constraints, Zoox is building a more reliable and capable autonomous driving system. Infrastructure Investment: Fusion Center
It’s one of those things that looks obvious but isn’t. Supporting this expansion is a serious infrastructure investment. Zoox announced plans to open new car depots in both Phoenix and Dallas, along with a new “Fusion Center” command hub in Scottsdale, Arizona. The facilities serve as the nerve center for fleet operations, providing teleguidance, mission control, and real-time rider support. The Scottsdale Fusion Center will join existing command centers in the San Francisco Bay Area and Las Vegas. Building a distributed network of operational control points that can support Zoox’s growing fleet across multiple time zones and regions. Milestones and market positioning
The expansion announcement coincides with a real operational milestone. By the end of 2025, Zoox had crossed the 300,000-plus ridership mark and 1 million independent miles. Most of it through the launch of the Las Vegas service and the San Francisco Explorer program. And it works. And the numbers show clear progress since Amazon acquired Zoox for $1.3 billion in 2020. Now, Alphabet-owned Waymo dominates the U.S. market with its familiar offerings in Phoenix, San Francisco and Austin. Tesla has also ramped up its robotaxi development efforts, while Chinese rivals including Baidu’s Apollo Go and Pony.ai are expanding their presence in Asian markets. Kind of obvious, once you look at it. The Road Ahead
Zox’s unique position in the market is due to what it’s building for the car a toaster-shaped, two-wheeled robotaxi without a steering wheel or pedals that’s specifically engineered for autonomous driving rather than repurposing existing automobile platforms. Its ultimate focus is on these custom-designed cars, though the company is using converted SUVs for initial mapping in new cities. The company has also invested heavily in manufacturing capabilities, opening a 220,000-square-foot production facility in the San Francisco Bay Area with a target capacity of 10,000 cars per year once fully operational. As Zoox continues to expand its approach to U.S. cities, the company is betting that its core approach to the car, combined with Amazon’s logistics expertise and resources, will ultimately differentiate it in a crowded marketplace.
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