Zoox Robotaxis Rise: No Steering Wheel, No Problem!

Hayward Hell on Wheels

They pushed me they pushed me! But I survived just like Zoox is surviving in this robotaxi war. This place in Hayward California is like a new jungle – only instead of booby traps they got robot assembly lines. One robotaxi a day? That's like trying to win a war with a slingshot! But they say they'll crank it up. Ten thousand a year they reckon. That's a lot of metal. Makes me think of all the scrap I left back in 'Nam.

Toaster Taxis on the March

Evans the head honcho says they ain't selling these things. No they're gonna unleash 'em on the streets. Like releasing a pack of trained wolves only these wolves don't bite they just drive... hopefully. These toaster shaped taxis need to roll off the line faster than Charlie in the jungle if Zoox wants to make a dent. Amazon bought 'em for a cool $1.3 billion. That's a lot of green for a bunch of metal boxes with no steering wheel. Makes you wonder if they got a self destruct button.

Waymo's World: The Enemy?

Zoox is chasing Waymo. Waymo's got all the experience and more locations. They got 250,000 paid trips a week. Zoox needs to step it up. Evans even says she's 'very proud' of Waymo. That's like saying you're proud of the guy who stole your boots! But hey at least it validates the work Zoox is doing. This is their war now they're in it up to their necks!

Musk's Machine: Danger Close

And then there's Musk. He's launching his robotaxi service soon. He's always cautious. He wants to be super paranoid about safety. Good. Safety first. But in a war you can't be too careful. You gotta be ready to strike like a viper in the grass.

No Steering Wheel No Surrender

These ain't your daddy's taxis. No steering wheel. Passengers facing each other. Evans calls 'em 'high end computers on wheels.' Sounds fancy. But can they survive a rocket launcher? They say it costs a lot to build these things. But they are getting cheaper and better as they scale up. The facility is huge like three and a half football fields. That's bigger than some of the villages I had to burn down... I mean *liberate*.

Ready for the Road... or the Apocalypse?

They test these robotaxis like they're prepping 'em for war. Calibration bays stress tests even a simulated rainstorm. Then they let 'em loose on a test track. If they can survive all that maybe they're ready for the streets of Vegas and Miami. They're even ramping up marketing. Evans says 'Because the vehicle looks so different we need to announce ourselves.' Yeah announce yourselves! Let the world know the robotaxis are coming! And hope they don't malfunction and start firing lasers... just kidding... maybe.