First Ride With The “Zooxie”

When Zoox first popped up on my radar in 2016, as the 12th license holder of a test license in California, I learned that the company was looking to develop not only self-driving technology, but also its own vehicle, and I thought this was a pretty ambitious undertaking, especially for a startup. Seven years later, I sat in one of these vehicles at CES 2023, and now, nine years after it was first mentioned, I got to ride in this home-built vehicle for the first time.

Two vehicles currently run between two Zoox office buildings in Foster City as a shuttle, covering just under 0.9 miles (1.5 kilometers) in the three-minute ride. The vehicle felt pleasantly spacious, even though there were four of us inside, and drove the distance quickly without much hesitation. Top speed is 75 miles per hour (120 km/h), but as the vehicle is mainly used in urban or industrial areas, it usually travels at a maximum of 35 to 45 miles per hour (56 to 72 km/h). As can be seen in the video, there is a small touchscreen to the left and right of each of the two seats in the vehicle, from which the journey can be started. It can also be used to control the music and doors. There will also be an app, which is currently only accessible to Zoox employees.

The rides themselves (we made one outward and one return journey) were smooth and uneventful. The ride feels soft, yet it is amazing how briskly and quickly it moves.

There is still no official name for this vehicle or vehicle category, but some employees affectionately refer to it as the “Zooxie“.

My first Zoox ride took place on January 14th, 2025 at 2:40pm PST between two Zoox locations in Foster City.

This article was also published in German.