Amazon-owned Zoox said Tuesday it will begin mapping the streets of Washington, DC as it prepares to test its self-driving vehicles in the U.S. capital later this year.
The company said it would initially deploy manually driven Toyota Highlanders fitted with its sensors and autonomous software to create maps of the city. Testing of Zoox’s autonomous fleet, with human safety operators onboard, is expected to follow.
See also: Amazon’s Zoox Expands U.S. Testing Footprint with Upcoming Self-Driving Trials in Atlanta
“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 blog post.
The California-based company, founded in 2014, already operates test fleets in cities including Austin, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Miami, San Francisco and Seattle. Washington will become Zoox’s eighth test site.
See also: Zoox Seeks U.S. Safety Exemption to Deploy Commercial Robotaxi Service
Zoox is also developing a commercial robotaxi service using custom-built autonomous vehicles without traditional controls such as a steering wheel or pedals. It launched a free robotaxi service in Las Vegas and recently began testing in San Francisco.
The company still requires full regulatory approval before launching commercial services. In August, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration granted Zoox an exemption to demonstrate its driverless vehicles on public roads, limited to research and demonstration use. The company has since filed a broader application seeking clearance to begin commercial deployment.
