Amazon-owned Zoox’s 100-robotaxi limit in Nevada is about to disappear
Amazon-owned Zoox’s 100-robotaxi limit in Nevada is about to disappear
亚马逊旗下 Zoox 在内华达州 100 辆自动驾驶出租车的运营限制即将取消
A regulatory cap limiting Zoox to 100 robotaxis in Nevada is set to expire this month, clearing the way for the Amazon-owned company to expand its commercial fleet of custom-built robotaxis in Las Vegas just as competition heats up. The Nevada Transportation Authority permit that imposed the 100-vehicle cap is set to expire September 25, TechCrunch has learned. An NTA official and a Zoox spokesperson confirmed the change, which is also outlined in an updated permit.
内华达州对 Zoox 自动驾驶出租车（Robotaxi）100 辆的监管上限将于本月到期，这为这家亚马逊旗下的公司在拉斯维加斯扩大其定制自动驾驶出租车商业车队扫清了障碍，而此时正值市场竞争日益激烈之际。据 TechCrunch 获悉，内华达州交通管理局（NTA）此前实施的 100 辆车上限许可将于 9 月 25 日到期。一位 NTA 官员和 Zoox 发言人证实了这一变动，该变动也已在更新后的许可证中列出。
This doesn’t mean Las Vegas is about to be inundated with hundreds of Zoox robotaxis. But it does give Zoox more freedom to grow — and at a critical moment. Waymo recently launched a commercial service in Las Vegas, while Tesla and Uber have secured their own driverless ride-hailing permits.
这并不意味着拉斯维加斯即将被数百辆 Zoox 自动驾驶出租车淹没。但这确实给了 Zoox 更多的增长自由——而且是在一个关键时刻。Waymo 最近在拉斯维加斯推出了商业服务，而特斯拉和 Uber 也获得了各自的无人驾驶网约车运营许可。
Today, Zoox has about 100 custom-built robotaxis — cube-like vehicles that lack steering wheels and pedals — spread across four U.S. cities, including Austin and Miami. The bulk of the fleet is in Las Vegas and San Francisco. And for now, Las Vegas remains the only city where Zoox is charging for rides. Zoox must still obtain another permit from California regulators before it can charge for passengers there.
目前，Zoox 拥有约 100 辆定制的自动驾驶出租车——这些车呈立方体状，没有方向盘和踏板——分布在美国的四个城市，包括奥斯汀和迈阿密。大部分车队位于拉斯维加斯和旧金山。目前，拉斯维加斯仍然是 Zoox 唯一收费运营的城市。Zoox 在加州向乘客收费之前，仍需获得当地监管机构的另一项许可。
Zoox began charging for robotaxi rides in Las Vegas last month after receiving a temporary exemption from certain federal motor vehicle safety standards from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). That exemption was crucial for Zoox because unlike Waymo, its robotaxis were designed without a steering wheel, pedals or other traditional, and federally mandated controls. The commercial exemption, allows Zoox to deploy up to 2,500 vehicles per year for the next two years.
在获得美国国家公路交通安全管理局（NHTSA）对某些联邦机动车安全标准的临时豁免后，Zoox 上个月开始在拉斯维加斯对自动驾驶出租车服务收费。这项豁免对 Zoox 至关重要，因为与 Waymo 不同，其自动驾驶出租车在设计时就没有方向盘、踏板或其他联邦强制要求的传统控制装置。这项商业豁免允许 Zoox 在未来两年内每年部署最多 2,500 辆汽车。
It’s unclear how quickly Zoox will take advantage of its newfound freedom in Nevada. A Zoox spokesperson declined to say how many robotaxis the company plans to add to its Las Vegas fleet or even how many are in operation there today. Robotaxi Tracker, which collects data on autonomous vehicles, estimates Zoox has more than 30 vehicles operating in the city. The spokesperson told TechCrunch that Zoox plans to steadily increase the size of its robotaxi fleet over the next several months “to meet the high demand in Las Vegas and other markets.”
目前尚不清楚 Zoox 将以多快的速度利用其在内华达州新获得的自由。Zoox 发言人拒绝透露该公司计划在拉斯维加斯车队中增加多少辆自动驾驶出租车，甚至拒绝透露目前在那里运营的具体数量。收集自动驾驶车辆数据的 Robotaxi Tracker 估计，Zoox 在该市运营的车辆超过 30 辆。该发言人告诉 TechCrunch，Zoox 计划在未来几个月内稳步扩大其自动驾驶出租车车队规模，“以满足拉斯维加斯和其他市场的高需求”。
Zoox will have lots of company, no matter how fast it expands. In August, the NTA approved three permits that will allow Tesla, Uber, and Waymo to operate commercial robotaxi services in Clark County, home to Las Vegas. Together, the permits could bring up to 7,000 robotaxis to the area over the next 12 months. Waymo has wasted little time acting on that permit. The company opened its robotaxi service to customers in Las Vegas earlier this month. Waymo told TechCrunch at the time that it would start with “dozens” of its new Ojai minivan robotaxis in a 23-square-mile area that includes the Strip south of Highway 589 and into Boulder Junction.
无论 Zoox 扩张速度如何，它都将面临激烈的竞争。8 月，NTA 批准了三项许可，允许特斯拉、Uber 和 Waymo 在拉斯维加斯所在的克拉克县运营商业自动驾驶出租车服务。这些许可加在一起，可能会在未来 12 个月内为该地区带来多达 7,000 辆自动驾驶出租车。Waymo 在获得许可后迅速采取了行动。该公司本月初向拉斯维加斯的客户开放了其自动驾驶出租车服务。Waymo 当时告诉 TechCrunch，它将首先在 23 平方英里的区域内投入“数十辆”新款 Ojai 小型货车自动驾驶出租车，该区域包括 589 号高速公路以南的拉斯维加斯大道（Strip）以及博尔德枢纽（Boulder Junction）。