Scottsdale lands Zoox mission control center
Amazon brings autonomous vehicle testing to Phoenix
Valley residents are already used to spotting Waymo's white SUVs rolling silently through intersections, and now there's a new robot in town. Amazon's autonomous vehicle unit Zoox announced Monday it is expanding robotaxi testing to Phoenix, making the Valley its newest proving ground in what is quickly becoming a full-blown robo-rivalry.
This marks the first time Zoox will operate in Arizona, a state that has long been a hotbed for autonomous vehicle testing thanks to permissive regulations, flat terrain, and warm weather. It was also where rival Waymo first launched its robotaxi service back in 2020.
To start, Zoox will deploy a small number of retrofitted Toyota Highlander SUVs with a human safety driver behind the wheel to map the areas before eventually introducing its toaster-shaped, purpose-built robotaxis. Yes, they really are shaped like a toaster. A very futuristic, no-steering-wheel toaster.
The Phoenix depot will serve as the operational base, while a new Fusion Center for mission control, teleguidance, and rider support is being set up right here in Scottsdale. So while the robots cruise Phoenix streets, the humans watching over them will essentially be working in our backyard.
Why Phoenix? The heat is actually the point. Zoox says the Valley gives it the opportunity to test sensor and battery performance against extreme heat and dust on high-speed roads — conditions that coastal test cities simply cannot replicate.
The expansion is expected to create hundreds of jobs and brings Zoox's total U.S. testing footprint to 10 cities, joining Las Vegas, San Francisco, Seattle, Austin, Miami, Los Angeles, Atlanta, and Washington, D.C.
No public ride launch timeline has been announced yet, so Waymo can breathe easy — for now. But with Amazon's deep pockets and a Scottsdale command center in place, the Valley's robotaxi scene just got a lot more interesting.
Sources: KTAR | CNBC | TechCrunch | Electrek | Reuters