Amazon-owned Zoox is sending a small fleet of autonomous vehicles to Denver this winter to train its self-driving technology in heavy rain and snow, the company confirmed2. Safety operators will drive the vehicles manually; the fleet will not carry passengers.
Denver previously served as a cold-weather training ground for Waymo's self-driving vehicles before that company began commercial service in the city. Zoox's deployment marks a second autonomous-vehicle program using Denver's winter conditions to stress-test driving systems1.
The Zoox robotaxis differ from conventional cars. Side doors slide open like a bus, and two carriage-style seats face each other to accommodate group rides. Each seat has individual climate controls, and the vehicles include charging stations for electronic devices.
The vehicles training in Denver differ from those operating in Zoox's commercial markets. Zoox is currently operational in Las Vegas and San Francisco, with plans to expand into Austin and Miami.
"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".
Zoox said it has no plans to expand commercial service to Denver.
ANALYSIS The Denver deployment is a data-collection exercise rather than a market-entry signal: manually driven vehicles gathering sensor logs in snow and rain to improve Zoox's perception and planning stack ahead of expansion into Austin and Miami.