This winter, Denverites will see another fleet of autonomous vehicles on the road.
The city served as a testing ground for Waymo’s self-driving vehicles to train in winter conditions before it began service here. Now, Amazon’s Zoox autonomous vehicles will take advantage of Denver’s winter conditions to train its own technology.
“Zoox is operating a small test fleet in Denver for a few months this winter to help train our driving technology on winter conditions, including heavy rain and snow,” the company said. ” Experiencing different weather conditions helps us improve how our technology handles various environments.
The Zoox vehicles training in Denver differ from those operating in other cities.
Their autonomous vehicles, which the company calls “robotaxis,” are designed differently than a traditional car. Side doors slide open, like a bus, and two carriage-style seats face each other to make group rides more convenient. The seats also have individual climate controls, and the vehicles include charging stations for electronic devices.
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Safety operators will drive the Denver fleet’s vehicles manually and will not be taking passengers.
Zoox is currently operational in Las Vegas and San Francisco, with plans to expand into Austin and Miami. The company says it has no plans to expand service to Denver for now.
