Gad-Zoox! Startup Gets OK to Test Self-Driving Car in California

Zoox Inc. has become the 12th applicant to be awarded permission by California to test an autonomous vehicle on its public roadways.

The Menlo, Calif.-based startup with Australian roots joins BMW, Bosch, Delphi, Cruise Automation—which GM purchased earlier this month—Ford, Google, Honda, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, Tesla and Volkswagen.

Zoox, which describes itself as blending robotics, machine learning and design, has been talking about self-driving vehicles since its formation in 2013 and aims to commercialize the technology for taxis by early next decade. Uber Technologies Inc. also is developing automated vehicle technologies for its own ride-hailing services. 

IEEE Spectrum first reported on the company last May. It says Zoox was launched in Australia in about 2013 by Australian designer Tim Kentley-Klay. He partnered with Jesse Levinson, an autonomous car researcher at Stanford University, and relocated the company to Menlo Park, Calif., in 2014.

Zoox has gained funding from Menlo Park-based venture capital firm DFJ, which previously has invested in such companies as Hotmail and Tesla, according to Spectrum. It says the company aims to have a drivable prototype ready this year.

Several high-profile engineers and executives have joined Zoox in recent months, Bloomberg News reports, citing member profile information on LinkedIn. The recruitment effort is being led by Joseph Wu, who previously helped create Tesla’s Autopilot team. Bloomberg says Zoox's board of directors now include Dan Cooperman, previously general counsel for Apple and Oracle, and Laurie Yoler, past president of Qualcomm Labs.