Waymo has launched its new Ojai robotaxi, an all-electric minivan built on a Chinese-market model from Geely-owned Zeekr. Specially selected customers in San Francisco, Phoenix and Los Angeles will be able to try the vehicle for free over the next few weeks before commercial service begins. The Ojai was first shown as a concept at an event in LA in 2022, and the vehicle has since gone through years of development and thousands of miles of testing.
The Ojai is designed specifically for autonomous ride-hailing rather than adapted from a conventional passenger vehicle. Waymo says the new robotaxi improves the rider experience with elevator-style doors, more interior space and three large screens that let passengers customize their immediate environment. The design marks a shift from the retrofitted Jaguar I-Pace SUVs that have defined Waymo’s service so far.
The most important change is the debut of the sixth-generation Waymo Driver, combining updated hardware and software. Compared with the fifth generation, there has been a significant reduction in sensors, with the latest stack now featuring 13 cameras (down from 29), four Lidars (cut from five) and only six radars as Waymo “leverages breakthroughs in Artificial Intelligence,” according to the company. The new tech delivers “expanded capabilities at a lower cost” (with the stack per car believed to cost aboujt?,000), Waymo said.
Waymo said its hardware approach allows the company to adapt sensors and generalize its Artificial Intelligence across different vehicle platforms, including the Ojai and the forthcoming Hyundai Ioniq 5 robotaxi. The company also said the updated system should perform better in colder and snowier environments, expanding beyond the warmer markets where it has concentrated service to date. Waymo has already confirmed it is “laying the groundwork” for future service in Chicago.
The Ojai will be assembled at Waymo’s facility in Mesa, Arizona, which has the capacity to scale to tens of thousands of units annually. Head of design Ryan Powell told CNBC that he expects thousands to be on the road by the end of the year. As of March, Waymo was serving half-a-million autonomous rides a week across the US. A ? billion funding round in February saw the company valued at ? billion.
