ROBOTAXIS AMAZON’S ZOOX LAUNCHES FREE DRIVERLESS TAXI SERVICE IN LAS VEGAS
Amazon’s AV subsidiary, Zoox, has officially launched its commercial robotaxi service in Las Vegas, offering free rides to passengers. The launch comes after more than a decade of research, develop- ment, and testing. The service, which can be accessed through the company’s mobile app, will operate on and around the Las Vegas Strip, with stops at popular destinations such as Resorts World Las Vegas, the Area15 entertainment district, and Topgolf. Zoox is hoping to familiarise the public with its unique, purpose- built vehicles, which feature carriage-style seating for four, bi- directional driving capabilities, and no driver’s seat. Unlike rivals such as
Waymo and Tesla, which use more traditional-looking cars, the Zoox taxis have hands-free automatic sliding doors, person-alised climate control, and sensors that ensure all passengers are buckled up before the vehicle moves. The company has been trialling its electric vehicles for several years and has an assembly plant in
California capable of producing 10,000 vans annually. The taxis can travel up to 45 mph, operate in the rain, and drive at night. Zoox plans to begin charging for rides in Las Vegas soon and intends to expand to other cities, with San Francisco, Austin, and Miami next on its list. With that, Zoox will go up against Waymo, which currently covers the most ground with robotaxis in the US, with services in Los Angeles, Phoenix, San Francisco, Atlanta, and Austin (the last two operate in partnership with Uber). It'll also compete with Tesla, which began a limited trial in Austin in June, and Lyft, which plans to begin offering rides in Dallas next year.
UBER PARTNERS WITH CHINESE FIRM MOMENTA FOR EUROPEAN ROBOTAXI TRIALS
Uber and Chinese autonomous driving company Momenta are set to begin testing Level 4 robotaxis in Munich, Germany, in 2026. The partnership marks another step in Uber’s strategy to expand its self- driving vehicle services globally, integrating Momenta’s
AI
technology into its platform. The collaboration aims to bring Level 4 autonomous driving technology to more European cities following the Munich trials. “Testing L4 AVs in Munich allows us to showcase how Momenta’s AI- driven Robotaxi technology can transform urban mobility,” said Momenta CEO Cao Xudong. The move comes as Uber broadens its presence in the competitive
PHTM OCTOBER 2025
autonomous mobility sector. The company has already partnered with a number of Chinese firms, including WeRide, Baidu, and Pony AI, as well as Alphabet’s Waymo and Lucid. The field is intensifying as competitors like Tesla push their own driverless taxi offerings. Momenta, which has a “two-leg strategy” of developing both advanced driver assistance
systems (ADAS) and robotaxi technology, has supplied software for 400,000 vehicles through partnerships with major German brands such as Mercedes-Benz and BMW. The company also operates a robotaxi service in Shanghai and plans to achieve commercial deployment without onboard safety operators by the end of the year. The Uber-Momenta partnership was first announced in May with the goal of expanding robotaxi services beyond the U.S. and China. While the initial German trials will include onboard safety operators, they represent the first major step in this international expansion.
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