Skip to main content

Colorado governor announces Connected and Autonomous vehicles day

Colorado’s governor Jon Hickenlooper declared 4 December as Connected and Autonomous Vehicle Day following a visit with civic leaders and corporate executives to an autonomous vehicle (AV) technology demonstration at Panasonic’s Denver facility. Through a new partnership it plans to deploy AV technology next to the building, in Spring 2018. The event also featured EasyMile’s autonomous shuttle inaugural journey to Peña Station as well as the opening of its new North American headquarters.
December 11, 2017 Read time: 2 mins
Colorado’s governor Jon Hickenlooper declared 4 December as Connected and Autonomous Vehicle Day following a visit with civic leaders and corporate executives to an autonomous vehicle (AV) technology demonstration at 598 Panasonic’s Denver facility. Through a new partnership it plans to deploy AV technology next to the building, in Spring 2018. The event also featured 8246 EasyMile’s autonomous shuttle inaugural journey to Peña Station as well as the opening of its new North American headquarters.


Enabled by the AV legislation, other partners involved in the project include the Colorado Department of Transportation, the City and County of Denver, and Regional Transit District (RTD).

The demonstration shared real-time data across vehicles, infrastructure and people with the intention of improving safety and mobility on the road.

EasyMile’s autonomous shuttle offered a practical application of first- and last-mile connections with existing public transit systems. Scheduled to be in service in late Spring/ Summer of next year, it will connect RTD’s 61st and Pena Station light rail station to bus routes on Tower Road.

Hickenlooper, said: “Colorado’s reputation as a hub for advanced technologies takes a significant step forward today with EasyMile’s opening of their North American headquarters and aligning with the state's partner Panasonic. We are proud to be called the home to one of the world's leading autonomous transportation firms. By launching this first-of-its-kind connected vehicle program, we are rapidly leveraging transportation technology to improve safety and mobility on our roadways.”

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • The Ray to advance transport tech in Texas
    April 1, 2021
    Collaboration includes connected and autonomous vehicle infrastructure and electric mobility
  • On-demand is Denver’s command
    March 6, 2017
    While demand responsive transit overcomes many problems, it has been too expensive to provide for the general public but Denver believes it may have found a solution. Cost-efficiently meeting fluctuating passenger levels within available resources can prove a serious challenge for general publicoriented demand responsive transit. There is growing US interest in this mode - as distinct from the already established use of demand responsive transit for specialised needs, such as paratransit for the disabled –
  • Congestion charging in New York edges a wheel-length closer
    May 16, 2023
    'This is about more than reducing traffic' says city mayor, pledging transit investment
  • IBTTA: industry must commit to trust and accountability
    August 23, 2018
    Without a commitment to trust and accountability, the modern road tolling industry would not have the bedrock which it requires – and which customers demand, says IBTTA’s Bill Cramer When Tim Stewart, executive director of Colorado’s E-470 Public Highway Authority, settled on ‘trust and accountability’ as the themes for his year as IBTTA president, it was a very deliberate choice. Stewart was looking for language that would help deliver the global tolling industry’s message of service excellence to cust