Self-driving car startup Zoox gets a new CEO
Self-driving car startup Zoox has selected its new CEO following the unexpected firing of co-founder and former CEO Tim Kentley-Klay in August. Aicha Evans, Intel’s now-former chief strategy officer, is joining Zoox as CEO and member of the Board of Directors on February 26.
“I’m thrilled to join Zoox and challenge the status quo with an autonomous mobility system built from the ground up,” Evans said in a press release. “Mobility is approaching a major inflection point, and Zoox has set itself apart from entrenched players as the only company creating a solution purpose-built to meet the needs of a fully autonomous future. I look forward to helping the company’s exceptionally talented team continue to grow as we unlock more technical and commercial milestones.”
Last month, the California Public Utilities Commission today granted Zoox a permit to participate in the state’s Autonomous Vehicle Passenger Service pilot. During the testing period, Zoox must have a safety driver behind the wheel and will not be allowed to charge passengers for rides. And, as part of the program, Zoox must provide data and reports to the CPUC regarding any incidents, number of passenger miles traveled and passenger safety protocols.
Zoox’s long-term plan is to publicly deploy autonomous vehicles by 2020 in the form of its own ride-hailing service. The cars themselves will be all-electric and fully autonomous.
To date, Zoox has raised more than $750 million in venture funding. TechCrunch is expecting to chat with Zoox co-founder and CTO Jesse Levinson a bit later today. We’ll update this story following that interview.
from TechCrunch https://tcrn.ch/2VTndWQ
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