Zoox opens 1st-of-its-kind robotaxi production facility in Bay Area
HAYWARD, Calif. (KGO) -- As Foster City-based Zoox is gearing up to welcome its first public riders, the company has officially opened of a new facility in Hayward dedicated to the production of its robotaxis.
Zoox shared rare peek into the production line at the newly unveiled factory, which is a look into the future of driverless vehicle technology.
MORE: Zoox robotaxis begin testing on San Francisco streets
Tech expert and SJSU professor Ahmed Bafana says this opportunity is a big deal, not just for Hayward but the Bay Area as a whole. It's another pioneering industry gaining ground in the Bay Area.
"About 100 technicians at the Hayward facility, and they have a test range in that area, so it is really showing that the company is really serious about this," Banafa said.
According to Zoox, which is owned by Amazon, the new Hayward facility is the first-ever purpose-built robotaxi serial production facility in the United States. Once at full scale, it will have the capacity to assemble more than 10,000 robotaxis a year.
Zoox launched in Las Vegas and the company is currently testing in San Francisco.
Lucy Lopez, CEO and president of the Hayward Chamber of Commerce, calls Zoox's investment a milestone for Hayward. It brings high-skilled, high paying jobs, but may also spark new investment in the city's industrial corridor.
"State colleges as well as community college, there are so many students that are so thirsty for opportunity like this in their own backyard," Lopez said. "So we are thrilled to have Zoox here in Hayward investing in our community."
MORE: Waymo expanding service throughout Peninsula, parts of South Bay
In a statement to ABC7 News, Hayward Chief Economic Development Officer Paul Nguyen says since the departure of Gillig, which manufactured buses, the city has been looking for a catalyst to reshape the local economy.
He describes Zoox's new facility as "an indicator of the city's broader industrial transformation from a regional logistics hub to a destination for advanced manufacturing, innovation, and clean technology."
Professor Banafa says this could be transformational for a city like Hayward, which can now go out and compete for a range of high tech and AI companies to come.
"That is good for us here in the Bay Area, that's more jobs, more manufacturing faculties and an opportunity to keep leading this world in this technology," Banafa said.
