Waymo expands testing to Denver and Seattle
Alphabet-owned Waymo announced expansion to Denver and Seattle, beginning human-supervised testing this week with up to a dozen vehicles in each city. The rollout includes a mix of the fully electric Jaguar I‑Pace and Geely Zeekr autonomous vehicles.
According to reports, Waymo will run vehicles with safety drivers behind the wheel initially to validate technology and operations prior to offering fully autonomous rides. The move follows Waymo’s broader 2025 expansion plan to bring its robotaxi service to multiple new cities.
Why Denver & Seattle matter
- Both cities present tougher weather conditions (snow, heavy rain) that will test Waymo’s systems in more challenging environments.
- Initial testing helps ensure safety and reliability before any commercial autonomous service launches.
Timeline & vehicles
- Testing with safety drivers: this week.
- Vehicles: Jaguar I‑Pace electric SUVs and Geely Zeekr autonomous vans.
- Scale: up to ~12 vehicles per city during early testing.
Sources & further reading
- TechCrunch: Waymo expands to Denver & Seattle
- CBS News (Denver)
- Fox 13 Seattle
- Waymo Blog: Bringing Waymo to more people sooner
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