Amazon Zoox is autonomous robotaxi of the future

Amazon subsidiary Zoox has unveiled a new L5 robotaxi that can carry up to four passengers, reach 120km/h and operate for up to 16 hours on a single charge in an urban environment.

Created to be fully autonomous, the new driverless pod measures in at just 3.63m-long and is said to possess four-wheel steering and be bidirectional, so will never need to reverse.

Powered by a large 133kWh battery and electric motors of undisclosed size, the fully-functional driverless robotaxi is said to incorporate up to "100 safety features" to keep its passengers safe.

Not all have been detailed, but the little cube-like vehicle does have a pioneering "envelope" airbag that is claimed to provide all four passengers with 5-star Euro NCAP levels of protection from an impact from any direction.

Easily accessed via big glass doors on either side, the Zoox's cabin has carriage-style seating in which passengers sit opposite each other on benches.

There's neither a steering wheel nor pedals in the Zoox L5, just a hard-wearing interior that's claimed to be easy to clean or disinfect.

Look up to the ceiling and there's a Rolls-Royce-style starlight headliner and a large panoramic roof.

On-board amenities include smartphone charging points and infotainment screens that keep you up-to-date with your progress to your destination.

When on the move, the small robotaxi uses cameras, radar and LIDAR to provide a 270-degree view of the road ahead, with engineers claiming virtually no blind spots for the sophisticated computers that take care of the driving.

Built in the US, the Zoox L5 robotaxi is already being trialled in Las Vegas, San Francisco and around the start-up's home town of Foster City, California.

Zoox was founded in 2014 and specialises in AI, robotics and sustainable transport.

There's no word yet on when the Zoox L5 will be released into the wild, but Amazon's decision to snap up the entire operation in June was seen as evidence that the prototype robotaxi is close to reality.

Amazon appears set to adapt the small driverless pod into an autonomous delivery van for its retail operation.

Commenting on the unveiling of its new robotaxi, Zoox boss Aicha Evans said: "Revealing our functioning and driving vehicle is an exciting milestone in our company’s history and marks an important step on our journey towards deploying an autonomous ride-hailing service."