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 7, 2021
    Revealed: future of mobility in Hamburg
    From 11-15 October, the ITS World Congress will present a myriad of innovations
  • February 1, 2021
    Shell buys EV charger Ubitricity 
    Deal moves oil and gas giant further down road of low-carbon transport alternatives
  • January 26, 2015
    Ford Opens new Silicon Valley research centre
    Ford’s newly opened Research and Innovation Center Palo Alto, US, will drive the company’s innovation in connectivity, mobility, autonomous vehicles, customer experience and big data, it says. The new research centre will continue the company’s work on autonomous vehicles, including ongoing work with University of Michigan and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. It will also expand collaboration with Stanford University that started in 2013 and will contribute a Fusion autonomous research vehicle to t
  • August 26, 2016
    Vaisala: Weather data is vital for connected vehicles
    Vaisala’s Dr Kevin Petty explains why the weather will continue to play a big part in road safety and traffic management in the smart cities of the future. The world is becoming increasingly connected. Thanks to advances in information and communications technology, the cities we live in are becoming ‘smart’, with everything from education to law enforcement managed by integrated tech solutions in a bid to improve quality of life.