Zoox is expanding autonomous robotaxi rides to new US cities
Autonomous technology developer Zoox is continuing its expansion of driverless robotaxi rides across two new cities in the US. This week, the company announced plans to start testing in Miami, Florida, and Austin, Texas, as it looks to begin commercial ride-hailing operations in the cities it’s already established in.
Zoox is one of the rare robotaxi developers actually bringing bespoke driverless technology to the masses. The Silicon Valley-based startup is also unique in that rather than converting existing EVs into ride-hailing vehicles like its competitors (a process facing its own number of issues), Zoox utilizes an entirely purpose-built EV without pedals or a steering wheel.
In February 2023, Zoox began rides on public roads in Foster City, California—marking the first time a purpose-built autonomous vehicle without any manual controls had done so. The startup has also expanded to Las Vegas, offering public rides in preparation for a full commercial launch, and Seattle, where it has been testing driverless rides in wet weather.
This past March, Zoox offered an update to its robotaxi taxi operations in its current cities, expanding operational hours and routes. Now, Zoox has shared plans to expand to more US cities and will begin robotaxi testing in those metropolitan areas soon.
Zoox to begin robotaxi testing to cities of Austin and Miami
According to a recent blog post from Zoox, Austin and Miami are the next two targeted cities for robotaxi operations. They are the fourth and fifth regions joining its growing list of public testing areas. Per Zoox’s senior director of policy and regulatory affairs, Ron Thaniel:
We’re laying the foundations for our autonomous ride-hailing service in new cities across the US. Austin and Miami offer key learning opportunities that will support the continued growth and refinement of our testing and service.
Zoox says its expansion to the two latest cities will begin with internal public testing soon. However, it was unclear when Miami or Austin residents may see the bespoke autonomous vehicles cruising around the neighborhoods – tiny areas near the business and entertainment districts, according to Zoox.
To begin, Zoox will conduct a brief mapping mission and then deploy a retrofitted Toyota Highlander test fleet with safety drivers present. The goal of the initial deployment will be to gather valuable insights and feedback before exploring the possibility of commercial rides with its bespoke EVs.
Zoox said it chose Austin and Miami as its following two robotaxi testing cities because the former has horizontal traffic lights, traffic lights hanging on wires, and a reputation for thunderstorms. It chose Miami because the city has traffic lights suspended diagonally across intersections. All should provide valuable data required for safe and efficient driverless ride-hailing services.
While testing is expected to begin in these two cities soon, Zoox relayed that residents should expect public robotaxi rides anytime soon. Instead, its target of commercial ride-hailing operations remains focused on San Francisco and Las Vegas to begin.
In addition to Austin and Miami, Zoox teased that it is “exploring several cities for future commercial offerings” after its initial robotaxi service launch.
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Fueled by incentives from the Illinois EPA and the state’s largest utility company, new EV registrations nearly quadrupled the 12% first-quarter increase in EV registrations nationally – and there are no signs the state is slowing down.
Despite the dramatic slowdown of Tesla’s US deliveries, sales of electric vehicles overall have perked up in recent months, with Illinois’ EV adoption rate well above the Q1 uptick nationally. Crain’s Chicago Business reports that the number of new EVs registered across the state totaled 9,821 January through March, compared with “just” 6,535 EVs registered in the state during the same period in 2024.
Those numbers represent more than 50% growth in EV registrations – far beyond the expected 12% first-quarter increase nationally being projected by Cox Automotive. (!)
What’s going on in Illinois?
While President Trump and Elmo were running for re-election, they campaigned on the threat promise of canceling the $7,500 federal tax credit for EVs. Along with California Governor Gavin Newsom, Illinois’ Governor JB Pritzker made countermoves – launching a $4,000 rebate for new electric cars and up to $1,500 for the purchase of a new electric motorcycle.
At the same time, the state’s largest utility, ComEd, launched a $90 million EV incentive program featuring a new Point of Purchase initiative to deliver instant discounts to qualifying business and public sector customers who make the switch to electric vehicles. That program has driven a surge in Class 3-6 medium duty commercial EVs, which are eligible fro $20-30,000 in utility rebates on top of federal tax credits and other incentives (Class 1-2 EVs are eligible for up to $7,500).
We covered the launch of those incentives when the program was announced at Chicago Drives Electric last year, but the message here is simple: incentives work.
SOURCES: Chicago Business, Ray Cunningham; featured image by the author.
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The electric construction equipment experts at XCMG just released a new, 25 ton electric crawler excavator ahead of bauma 2025 – and they have their eye on the global urban construction, mine operations, and logistical material handling markets.
Powered by a high-capacity 400 kWh lithium iron phosphate battery capable of delivering up to 8 hours of continuous operation, the XE215EV electric excavator promises uninterrupted operation at a lower cost of ownership and with even less downtime than its diesel counterparts.
XCMG is delivering on part of that reduced downtime promise with the lower maintenance and easier repair needs of electric equipment, and delivering on the rest of it with lickety-quick DC fast charging that can recharge the machine’s massive battery in 1.5-2 hours … but that’s not the slick bit. The XCMG XE125EV can be powered up without leaving the job site thanks to its BYD battery swap technology.
We first covered XCMG and its battery swap technology back in January, and covered similar battery-swap tech being developed by MOOG Construction offshoot ZQUIP, as well – but while XCMG’s battery tech has been in production for several years, it’s still not widely known about in the West (even within the industry).
XCMG showed off its latest electric equipment at the December 2024 bauma China, including an updated version of its of its 85-ton autonomous electric mining truck that features a fully cab-less design – meaning there isn’t even a place for an operator to sit, let alone operate. And that’s too bad, because what operator wouldn’t want to experience an electric truck putting down 1070 hp more than 16,000 lb-ft of torque!?
Easy in, easy out
The best part? All of the company’s heavy equipment assets – from excavators to terminal tractors to dump trucks and wheel loaders – all use the same 400 kWh BYD battery packs, Milwaukee tool style. That means an equipment fleet can utilize x number of vehicles with a fraction of the total battery capacity and material needs of other asset brands. That’s not just a smart use of limited materials, it’s a smarter use of energy.
You can check out all the XE215EV’s specs at this tear sheet, and get an in-person look at the Chinese company’s latest electric excavator this week in Munich, Germany.
SOURCE | IMAGES: XCMG.
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As “extreme” weather events become more commonplace, the demand for reliable and portable energy continues to rise. In response to that growing demand for dependable off-grid power, Volvo has developed the new PU500 Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) designed to take electrical power when it’s needed most.
Designed to be deployable in a number of environments at a moment’s notice, the Volvo Energy PU500 BESS is equipped with approximately 500 kWh of usable battery capacity (up to 540 kWh total). More than enough juice, in other words, to power a remote construction site, disaster response effort, or even a music festival – anything that needs access to reliable electricity beyond a grid connection.
That’s great, but what sets the PU500 apart from other battery storage solutions is its integrated 240 kW DC fast charger.
“With an integrated CCS2 charger, the PU500 is designed to work with all brands of electric equipment, trucks, and passenger cars,” says Niklas Thulin, Head of BESS Product Offer at Volvo Energy. “This ensures that no matter what type of electric vehicle or machinery you rely on, the PU500 can provide the power you need, making it a truly flexible solution for any grid constrained site or location.”
The integrated charger in the PU500 has the impressive ability to charge a heavy equipment asset (be that an electric semi truck or something like a wheel loader) in under two hours. Its on-board capacity allows to fully recharge up to 3 electric HD trucks or 20 electric cars per day, making it an incredibly versatile disaster response asset.
Electrek’s Take
As we often say over at The Heavy Equipment Podcast, “just because you’re working for the power company doesn’t mean you have power,” and there are hundreds of scenarios where the extra power provided by something like the new PU500 would be useful. Its ability to be palletized and easily moved or swapped out of a larger BESS array, too, just add to its flexibility.
SOURCE | IMAGES: Volvo.
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