![Watch Zoox’s driverless robotaxi endure crash tests, thanks to unique safety designs [Video]](https://i0.wp.com/electrek.co/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/04/Zoox-robotaxi-crash-test.jpg?resize=1200,628&quality=82&strip=all&ssl=1)
Watch Zoox’s driverless robotaxi endure crash tests, thanks to unique safety designs [Video]
“We’ve built our robotaxi from the ground up. Now, to truly test it, we have to break it apart.” That’s the sentiment shared by robotaxi developer Zoox as it looks to finally launch its truly driverless EV to the public soon. In the final chapter of its “Putting Zoox to the Test” YouTube series, Zoox shared unique safety features that went into the robotaxi design and, of course, included plenty of footage of its EV getting smashed up. See more below.
Zoox is an autonomous vehicle specialist approaching nearly a decade of development in bringing its unique robotaxi technology to public roads. After being wholly acquired by Amazon for a whopping $1.2 billion, Zoox found the necessary funding to continue developing a completely bespoke EV for the robotaxi market, rather than try and retrofit existing vehicles like nearly all of its competitors.
In late 2020, we got our first look at the all-electric, autonomous shuttle with massive 133 kWh battery pack, plus the absence of pedals and a steering wheel. That fleet of level 3 autonomous vehicles has tallied over one million autonomous miles through San Francisco, Las Vegas, and Seattle – leading Zoox to become the first company to self-certify a purpose-built, fully autonomous passenger EV with the NHTSA’s Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS).
Long before we saw the unique robotaxi, Zoox had already performed thousands of simulated virtual crash tests – even before the company itself had built its prototype. In 2019, Zoox finished its first round of crash testing on the initial iteration of its minimalist robotaxi and used that data to improve its current version.
As Zoox continues public road testing with its employees in California, it is moving closer to commercialization and has the latest crash test performance data to foster optimism about its future success on roads.
Zoox’s unique robotaxi provides safety to all passengers
One look at the Zoox robotaxi, and it’s obvious that its design is like no other. By building its EV from the ground up, the team states it has been able to push design features beyond existing solutions, but simultaneously, its own conception has created unique safety concerns that had to be addressed.
Zoox was tasked with a unique challenge in passenger safety since previous features in traditional passenger vehicles have been geared toward the people in the front seat, where an airbag can be deployed from the dashboard. By removing the dash components altogether, Zoox had to find a new approach while still adhering to the same safety regulations as every other motor vehicle.
The solution is a unique horseshoe-style airbag (seen above) that surrounds all passengers while protecting them from both front and side collisions. Zoox states that its goal is to provide each and every seat in its robotaxi with the highest possible level of safety, flipping the script on traditional vehicles that can only deliver such reassurances to the front seat. Vehicle safety senior manager Markus Jost elaborated:
As part of going beyond what is required, we have applied the FMVSS performance requirements to our rear seating positions. This sets a higher bar than in a conventional vehicle.
Another design feature that makes the ride in a Zoox robotaxi efficient while simultaneously offering added safety is the EV’s crumple zone during a crash. Since the vehicle is designed for efficient mobility and tight turns, it is super compact, leaving little room for crumpling. This is quite evident in the crash test footage you’ll see below.
By moving the driving module and motor well inside the compact space of Zoox’s proprietary EV architecture, the platform can absorb much of the impact, dispersing the incoming force before it even reaches the passengers inside. Zoox boldly states that this architecture design is not just a first for autonomous robotaxis but for the entire vehicle industry.
With promising crash test results already underway, Zoox moves ever closer to commercialized public robotaxi rides in the US, and we can’t wait to take a spin in one of them. Be sure to check out the full crash test video from Zoox below:
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This week on Electrek’s Wheel-E podcast, we discuss the most popular news stories from the world of electric bikes and other nontraditional electric vehicles. This time, that includes a merger between Electric Bike Company and Integral Electrics, California looking to clamp down further on Sur Ron hooligans, a Super73 recall, Cowboy’s production move, a tour inside Bafang’s factory in China, and more.
The Wheel-E podcast returns every two weeks on Electrek’s YouTube channel, Facebook, Linkedin, and Twitter.
As a reminder, we’ll have an accompanying post, like this one, on the site with an embedded link to the live stream. Head to the YouTube channel to get your questions and comments in.
After the show ends, the video will be archived on YouTube and the audio on all your favorite podcast apps:
We also have a Patreon if you want to help us to avoid more ads and invest more in our content. We have some awesome gifts for our Patreons and more coming.
Here are a few of the articles that we will discuss during the Wheel-E podcast today:
Here’s the live stream for today’s episode starting at 9:00 a.m. ET (or the video after 10:00 a.m. ET):
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NIU, best known as a leader in the electric moped market, has expanded considerably over the last few years. In addition to offering a hot-selling new electric dirt bike and showing off concepts for electric ATVs, the company is now unveiling an electric microcar known as the NIUMM 500.
Still in its prototype stage, the two-seater NIUMM 500 electric microcar is designed to fit into L6e category of light quadricycles in Europe. As a quadricycle, these vehicles are technically not “cars” in the traditional sense (or in the legal sense), and thus have their own set of regulations that help streamline their path to production. Other popular microcars, such as the Citroen Ami, have taken a similar path and reached success with over 30,000 units sold.
With a target price of €8,000 (approximately US $8,300), the NIUMM 500 is intended to fill that niche role of a comfortable, weather-protected urban commuter, going beyond a typical moped or motorcycle with the advantages of locking storage and the ultimate achievement of staying dry in the rain.
In order to qualify as an L6e vehicle though, there are certain restrictions such as speed and power that prevent the NIUMM 500 from laying down the fastest lap times. A top speed of 45 km/h (28 mph) keeps the microcar city-oriented, though you could probably tell by looking that this isn’t a highway vehicle.
In some countries, light quadricycles don’t even require a full car driver’s license, instead allowing the operator to hold a more easily-obtainable moped permit.
Despite the speed limitation, the little electric microcar has a lot going for it. The traditional steering wheel control and two-pedal drive setup will feel familiar to seasoned car drivers, yet the vehicle offers a more moped-like parking experience by taking up a mere fraction of a parking spot. The narrow size helps squeeze through tight city streets, though you likely won’t be lane splitting quite like a moped.
Back on the car-like side of things, electric locks and power windows come standard (including a power rear windshield), as does electric heating. Optional add-ons include a sun roof and air conditioning. There’s a decently large storage area behind the two seats, and another small storage area in front of the passenger seat.
And in another nod to its hybrid design, halfway between a moped and a car, the NIUMM 500 can even be outfitted with removable batteries (straight from NIU’s NQiX electric mopeds). The removable battery version allows apartment dwellers or others without access to street-level parking to still own and charge their own microcar. Just like how I charge my own NIU batteries at home, owners can simply carry the batteries up the elevator and charge them in their apartment.
For those with charging access though, there’s a fixed battery version with a larger 7 kWh capacity. It gets an impressive 118 km (73 miles) of range, compared to the removable battery version’s 60 km (37 miles) of range.
Both appear to feature the same 5 kW motor with a peak output of 10 kW – also the same drivetrain from the NIU NQiX electric moped.
NIU is currently showing off the new vehicle at the Motorrad show in Dortmund, Germany.
There’s no word yet on if or when the NIUMM 500 will see production, but based on conversations with company insiders, it sounds like NIU is fairly serious about the microcar’s future.
Here’s to hoping it sees the road soon, and that they can keep that target price in check on the way there.
Electrek’s Take
Yes, I’m all in on this!
I LOVE electric microcars. Give me a tiny car, a golf cart, whatever you want to call it, and I’ll take it. For city commuters, 25 mph is often sufficient, and since many people don’t feel safe on a scooter, these types of vehicles fit the bill as lighter and more efficient alternatives to a car that still carry some benefits of a scooter or moped.
I tested out Wink Motors’ vehicles in NYC a couple of years ago and got around the city just fine with a top speed of 25 mph, so I think these could even work in the US. But of course Europe is the primary target here thanks to their more conducive quadricycle laws.
If anyone at NIU is reading this, I will travel to review!
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Renewables increased their output by almost 10% and provided nearly a quarter of US electrical generation in 2024, according to newly released US Energy Information Administration (EIA) data.
Solar was still No 1
Solar remained the US’s fastest-growing source of electricity in 2024. Utility-scale and “estimated” small-scale (e.g., rooftop) solar combined increased by 26.9% in 2024 compared to the same period in 2023, according to the SUN DAY Campaign, which reviewed EIA’s “Electric Power Monthly” report data.
Utility-scale solar thermal and photovoltaic expanded by 32%, while small-scale solar increased by 15.3%. Together, solar was nearly 7% (6.91%) of total US electrical generation for the year.
In December alone, electrical generation by utility-scale solar expanded by 42% compared to December 2023.
Small-scale solar (systems <1 MW) accounted for 27.9% of all solar generation and provided 1.9% of the US electricity supply in 2024. In fact, small-scale solar PV generates over five times more electricity than utility-scale geothermal.
2024 renewables milestones
The electrical output of US wind farms in 2024 grew by 7.7% year-over-year. Wind remains the largest source of electrical generation among renewable energy sources, accounting for 10.3% of the US total.
Wind and solar combined provided more than 17.2% of US electrical generation during 2024. The mix of all renewables – wind, solar, hydropower, biomass, geothermal – provided 24.2% of total US electricity production in 2024 compared to 23.2% of electrical output a year earlier.
Between January and December, electrical generation by renewables grew by 9.6% compared to the same period the year before – nearly three times the growth rate of natural gas (3.3%) and over 10 times that of nuclear power (0.9%).
In December alone, electrical generation by renewables grew by 10.1% compared to December 2023.
Wind and solar together produced 15.9% more electricity than coal and came close to matching nuclear power’s share of total generation (17.2% vs. 17.8%).
The mix of renewables reinforced their position as the second largest source of electrical generation, behind only natural gas.
“Renewable energy sources now provide a quarter of the nation’s electricity,” said the SUN DAY Campaign’s executive director, Ken Bossong. “Consequently, the rash efforts of the Trump Administration to undermine wind, solar, and other renewables will have serious negative consequences for the nation’s electricity supply and the economy.”
Read more: Renewables provided 90% of new US capacity in 2024 – FERC
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