Zoox Robotaxis: Production Ramps Up for Vegas Launch | Amazon
- Zoox, the autonomous vehicle startup owned by Amazon, has inaugurated a new manufacturing facility in Hayward, California, signaling a significant step towards the commercial deployment of its robotaxi...
- The hayward site is currently producing one robotaxi per day, but Zoox anticipates accelerating production in the coming year.
- "we don't need to crank out a vehicle every minute because we're not selling these things," said Zoox CEO Aicha Evans during a tour of the facility.
Zoox, backed by Amazon, is significantly expanding its robotaxi production at a new facility in Hayward, California, with a strong focus on the upcoming Las Vegas launch. This is a major move, as the company gears up to compete with Waymo and Tesla in the autonomous vehicle market. The new facility is designed to produce thousands of robotaxis annually, marking a pivotal step toward Zoox’s ride-hailing service rollout. The custom-built “carriage-style” vehicles are aiming to revolutionize urban mobility. You can find this news and more on News Directory 3. Will Zoox successfully take the lead in the autonomous vehicle sector? Discover what’s next …
Zoox ramps Up Robotaxi Production at New California Facility
Updated June 18, 2025
Zoox, the autonomous vehicle startup owned by Amazon, has inaugurated a new manufacturing facility in Hayward, California, signaling a significant step towards the commercial deployment of its robotaxi fleet. The facility will enable Zoox to substantially increase its robotaxi production as it prepares to launch its ride-hailing service later this year.
The hayward site is currently producing one robotaxi per day, but Zoox anticipates accelerating production in the coming year. At full capacity, the facility can assemble 10,000 robotaxis annually, producing approximately three vehicles per hour.However, the company has not specified a timeline for reaching this production level.
“we don’t need to crank out a vehicle every minute because we’re not selling these things,” said Zoox CEO Aicha Evans during a tour of the facility.
zoox, acquired by Amazon in 2020 for $1.3 billion, has been testing its robotaxis on public roads as 2023. The company currently operates a few dozen robotaxis in Foster city,San Francisco,and Las Vegas. Zoox envisions operating between 500 and 1,000 robotaxis in small-to-medium sized cities where it will offer ride-hailing services, according to Evans.
The Competition
Zoox is entering a competitive market, facing off against Alphabet’s Waymo, which currently operates the only fully public driverless ride-hailing service in the U.S. Waymo has been expanding aggressively, providing over 250,000 paid trips each week across Phoenix, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Austin.
Evans acknowledged Waymo’s progress, stating that it “helps validate the work that Zoox and others are doing to deploy an autonomous ride-hailing service.”
Tesla is also poised to enter the robotaxi market, with Elon Musk announcing plans to launch its service in Austin. Zoox is preparing to launch public rides in Las vegas later this year, followed by San francisco in 2026, and then Austin and Miami in the coming years.
Like Uber and Lyft, Zoox riders will be able to hail a robotaxi using a mobile app.
Ramping Up Production
Unlike Waymo, which utilizes Geely Zeekr minivans, Zoox has developed its own custom-built “carriage-style” vehicles, designed to accommodate up to four passengers facing each other, without a steering wheel. Evans described the robotaxis as “high-end computers on wheels.”
The cost of developing Zoox’s bespoke robotaxis is “significant,” according to Zoox CTO Jesse levinson. However, he anticipates that the cost per vehicle will decrease as Zoox scales up its fleet.
Zoox claims that the new facility, spanning approximately 3.5 football fields, is the first site in the U.S. “dedicated solely to producing purpose-built robotaxis.” The facility was previously occupied by bus manufacturer Gillig.
About half of Zoox’s suppliers are based in the U.S., while the company also sources parts from countries including China and Italy.
Evans indicated that Zoox may open additional manufacturing facilities in the U.S. and internationally in the future.
the Hayward facility is located across the bay from Zoox’s headquarters in Foster City, california. The company also operates a small manufacturing facility in Fremont, California, which will now be used to assemble its test fleet of retrofitted Toyota SUVs and to configure the sensor pods that sit atop its robotaxis.
The Hayward facility currently employs about 100 technicians. Zoox also utilizes robots for specific tasks, such as applying adhesive for glass installation and transporting the robotaxi down the assembly line.
Once assembled, each vehicle undergoes end-of-line testing, including calibration of cameras and sensors, stress testing of the powertrain, and a simulated rainstorm to check for leaks.
The robotaxis then complete several laps around a test track behind the facility before being deemed “fit for the road,” according to Zoox.
Zoox has increased its marketing efforts as it prepares to launch its service to the public.
“Because the vehicle looks so different, we need to announce ourselves,” Evans said.
What’s next
Zoox plans to launch its commercial robotaxi service in Las Vegas later this year, with further expansion planned for San Francisco, Austin and Miami in the coming years.