Amazon subsidiary Zoox to test its self-driving cars in D.C.

Amazon subsidiary Zoox is bringing its self-driving cars to the District for test runs starting this year, the company announced Tuesday.

The first Zoox cars for the District are retrofitted SUVs that will operate with a human inside working as a safety driver. The first cars will map out the city’s geofence, and fully autonomous Zoox vehicles will start tests later this year.

“The District Department of Transportation confirms that the autonomous vehicle company Zoox has begun mapping in the District of Columbia with a small fleet of vehicles as part of early autonomous vehicle testing. … Currently, the vehicles are only mapping at this stage and are not yet using automated driving systems,” the department told WRC-TV.

Zoox said the District poses distinct challenges for its cars, including cyclist and pedestrian traffic, diagonal roads, traffic circles and highly variable weather.

“Washington, D.C., ranks among the largest ride-hailing markets in the U.S. and serves as a national hub for government, research and mobility technology. With its growing population and high demand for flexible transport options, the District is an ideal next location and optimal place to begin testing and mapping our technology on the East Coast,” Zoox said in a release.

The District is the eighth city where Zoox is testing cars, the first in the mid-Atlantic region and the third in the East after Miami and Atlanta.

The company also tests cars in Los Angeles, the San Francisco Bay Area, Seattle and Austin, Texas, and operates a robotaxi service using its cars in Las Vegas.