Google Waymo and Amazon Subsidiary Zoox Unveil Robotaxi Vehicle at CES
Zoox Already Conducting Pilot Operations on Local Roads
Waymo CEO Boosts Excitement with Keynote Speech... Hyundai, a Partner, Also Exhibits
Musk May Join via Vegas Loop
Contrary to expectations that artificial intelligence (AI) would dominate, the automotive sector is showing strong momentum at CES 2025, the world's largest electronics and IT exhibition. Although Hyundai Motor did not attend and the electric vehicle boom has cooled, it was still evident that innovation in the automotive field, such as autonomous driving, continues.
A vehicle from Zoox, a robot taxi company invested in by Amazon, is running on the roads of Las Vegas on the 6th (local time). Zoox allows only employees to ride during the test operation period but expects to launch official robot taxi services within this year. Photo by Baek Jongmin
In Las Vegas, where CES 2025 is being held, autonomous vehicles are operating. These are autonomous vehicles from ZOOKS, an Amazon-backed investment company. While Google Waymo already operates autonomous robo-taxis in Los Angeles and San Francisco, ZOOKS currently does not offer official services in Las Vegas and only allows employees to ride. The robo-taxi observed on the streets was a modified Toyota Highlander with a driver in the driver's seat. ZOOKS plans to start official services later this year with a specially designed 4-seater vehicle after obtaining approval from the Las Vegas city authorities. ZOOKS' vehicles can also be seen at their CES booth. While Google Waymo uses existing vehicles for its services, ZOOKS has developed vehicles that do not require a driver to be onboard.
Google Waymo is also not missing out on the competition. At this CES, Waymo's CEO, Tekedra Mawakana, is delivering the keynote speech. Through this speech, Waymo is expected to reveal its ambition to solidify its position in the robo-taxi sector. To showcase this strategy, Waymo has set up a booth in the West Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center where cars are exhibited, attracting visitors' attention. Waymo displayed three models equipped with autonomous driving systems: Jaguar, China's Jicar, and Hyundai Motor's Ioniq 5. Waymo has also formed strategic partnerships on autonomous driving with Jicar and Hyundai Motor.
A 5th generation robotaxi vehicle operated by Waymo is being showcased at the CES 2025 exhibition. Photo by UPI Yonhap News
Elon Musk's underground tunnel project, Vegas Loop, is also expected to transform into a robo-taxi service by the next CES. Currently, the Vegas Loop operates Tesla Model 3 and Model X vehicles driven by humans in the underground loop beneath the Las Vegas Convention Center where CES is held. However, if the city of Las Vegas permits autonomous driving, robo-taxis may be deployed.
Musk unveiled a robo-taxi without a steering wheel last October. At the time of the robo-taxi unveiling, Musk stated, "Next year, we will start full autonomous driving in Texas and California." However, there are criticisms that Tesla's autonomous driving features do not function properly in the narrow tunnels of the Vegas Loop, which remains a blemish.
A reporter is experiencing the underground tunnel "Vegas Loop" operated by The Boring Company, run by Elon Musk, beneath Las Vegas. The Vegas Loop operates with Tesla vehicles, but they are driven manually without using the autonomous driving feature. Tesla's autonomous driving function is known not to work properly inside the tunnel. Photo by Baek Jongmin
At this CES, the AI semiconductor company NVIDIA took the lead in autonomous driving. NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang revealed the 'Cosmos' platform during his keynote speech, stating that autonomous driving technology is already generating $5 billion in annual revenue. The physical AI development platform Cosmos targets robots and autonomous vehicles. Huang predicted, "Autonomous vehicle technology will soon become the world's largest robotics and computing industry," increasing interest in autonomous driving. NVIDIA is also showcasing an autonomous driving support chip called DRIVE Thor.
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