Take a look inside the factory building America's first robotaxi fleet

Business Insider

7 hours ago

Zoox, an Amazon-backed robotaxi company, has opened what it said is the first serial production facility in the US designed to manufacture purpose-built robotaxis.
Located in Hayward, California, the 220,000-square-foot facility will serve as the launchpad for Zoox's plans to launch a commercial ride-hailing service, starting in Las Vegas and San Francisco, with operations in other cities like Austin and Miami expected in the coming years.
In a press release, the company said the factory will eventually be able to produce more than 10,000 vehicles a year.
"Today, we're producing roughly one robotaxi every day, and we will continue to scale this over the coming year," a Zoox spokesperson told Business Insider.
That capacity will scale based on market demand, Zoox said.
Unlike many competitors, like Tesla, Nvidia, and Waymo, which retrofit existing cars, Zoox is focused on building autonomous vehicles from the ground up without a steering wheel or driver's seat.
The facility handles nearly every aspect of production: vehicle assembly, hardware, software integration, end-of-line testing, and shipping.
While the process incorporates some automation — robots apply adhesive and move vehicles down the line — most tasks, including installing interiors and calibrating sensors, are done manually.
The modular robotaxi moves through the facility via an automated track guided by QR codes.
One of the final steps before a vehicle is considered road-ready is a series of quality and safety checks.
Each unit rotates in a calibration bay to synchronize its camera, lidar, radar, and infrared sensors.
It then undergoes wheel and headlight alignment, a 75-mph run on a dynamometer, a water-tightness test via simulated rain, and a final inspection under a light tunnel.
Once testing is complete, the vehicle is sent to an outdoor track for a short autonomous run to validate its basic functions, including navigation, braking, and rider pick-up and drop-off behavior.
Zoox said it expects the facility to create hundreds of jobs, including operators, logistics workers, and assembly specialists.
"Zoox does use automated machines for a few parts of the process, such as moving the vehicles from station to station," Zoox's spokesperson said, "but it is primarily done by hand, given the complex software and hardware integrations that are needed."
Zoox is already operating limited public rides in Las Vegas and aims to bring its service to San Francisco next.
"Zoox will be launching our commercial ride-hailing service in Las Vegas later this year, with San Francisco to follow," the spokesperson said.
But the company's expansion comes as its technology faces increased scrutiny.
In May 2024, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) opened an investigation into Zoox after two motorcyclists collided with Zoox-equipped vehicles that reportedly braked unexpectedly while operating autonomously. Both incidents resulted in minor injuries.
The NHTSA is also reviewing the company's self-certification process for its robotaxi model.
A Zoox spokesperson told Business Insider at the time that the company is cooperating with regulators and remains committed to transparency and safety.
Zoox, which Amazon acquired for $1.2 billion in 2020, remains in testing mode and has not announced a commercial release date for its robotaxi.