Skip to main content

Amazon 'in talks to buy' AV start-up Zoox

Any such deal would move online giant into driverless world
By Adam Hill May 27, 2020 Read time: 1 min
Amazon is 'in talks with' driverless vehicle specialist Zoox, says WSJ report (© Andrey Suslov | Dreamstime.com)

Amazon is in "advanced talks" to acquire autonomous mobility start-up Zoox, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Neither company has commented on the report, which says that the deal would value Silicon Valley-based Zoox below $3.2 billion.

Amazon is heavily involved in electric vehicles has been less bullish publicly about AVs.

However, home deliveries - a key part of Amazon's offering - is one area in which driverless vehicles might be expected to make an impact.

On its website Zoox, which was formed in 2014, sets much store by its experience in complex road environments.

"Zoox is driving autonomously in ways that no one else has shown. We are driving in cities and on highways. Making unprotected lefts and rights on red. Yielding to pedestrians and passing double parked vehicles."

It describes San Francisco and Las Vegas as 'anchor' markets "for us to rigorously test and validate".

The company says it applies "the latest in automotive, robotics and renewable energy to design a symmetrical, bidirectional, zero-emissions vehicle from the ground up to solve the unique challenges of autonomous mobility".

Below is a video showing a 'fully autonomous' Zoox drive through San Francisco...

Related Content

  • October 17, 2019
    Getting C/AVs from pipedream to reality
    The UK government has suggested that driverless cars could be on the roads by 2021. But designers and engineers are grappling with a number of difficult issues, muses Chris Hayhurst of MathWorks Earlier this year, the UK government made the bold statement that by 2021, driverless cars will be on the UK’s roads. But is this an achievable reality? Driverless technology already has its use cases on our roads, with levels of autonomy ranked on a scale. At one end of the spectrum, level 1 is defined by th
  • August 4, 2020
    Milton Keynes adds e-scooters to bike-share
    Spin and Lime are among providers chosen by the UK town in country's first large-scale trial
  • September 8, 2021
    Waymo offers AV trips in San Francisco 
    Initial group will include those who require wheelchair accessible vehicles
  • June 2, 2016
    Sorting myth from reality in vehicle automation
    Bob Denaro looks beyond the hype surrounding autonomous vehicles to the challenges that still need to be overcome. Automated vehicles (AVs) may be the perfect storm – in a positive way - with the automobile manufacturers, the government and consumers all embracing the emergence of a transformational new technology and product.