Waymo Opens New Ojai Robotaxi to Select Passengers

Waymo is inviting non-employee passengers into its newest vehicle after several months of testing. The Zeekr RT minivan, rebranded as the Ojai, will initially be available to “select riders” in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Phoenix. The company plans to gradually expand access to more riders and cities. Trips will be free at the start while Waymo collects data about the passenger experience, with paid rides to follow.

The Ojai is made by China’s Zeekr and uses fewer sensors than the company’s Jaguar I-Pace robotaxis. It represents the debut of Waymo’s sixth-generation technology. The current fleet of Jaguar I-Pace vehicles runs on the company’s fifth-generation technology, first rolled out in March 2020. Jaguar discontinued that model at the end of 2024. The Ojai will be followed by the Hyundai Ioniq 5, and Waymo is partnering with Toyota for future models.

It has been nearly four years since Waymo first debuted the Zeekr minivan as its next purpose-built autonomous ridehail vehicle. The Ojai is the second ground-up design that Waymo has unveiled after the original Firefly, which was retired in 2017. Waymo partnered with Chinese automaker Geely to design the vehicle. Geely owns automakers like Volvo, Lotus, and Polestar, as well as a stake in Aston Martin. The company makes luxury vehicles mostly for the Chinese market.

Importing the vehicles presented an obstacle given high tariffs and restrictions against vehicles with Chinese software. Waymo has said the vehicles it imports from Zeekr have been stripped of any connected software, sidestepping the ban.

Waymo describes its sixth-generation system as the smartest and most capable autonomous vehicle it has designed. It uses fewer sensors to lower overall costs. Its cameras are more powerful, its lidar can see things the cameras might miss, and its improved radar can tackle extreme weather conditions. The system is built for high-volume production, with manufacturing partners able to produce tens of thousands of units a year.

The Ojai features a more expansive cabin with increased leg room, three large screens, charge ports, and cupholders. It can accommodate up to four passengers. Waymo says it is more accessible than previous vehicles, with a flat floor and low-step height for easier entry, instructions in braille, and grab bars. The vehicle will also be easier to maintain and clean, with faster EV charging and increased battery capacity.

The announcement comes at the end of a rough couple of weeks for Waymo. The Alphabet-owned company suspended freeway driving across all of its cities out of concerns about how its vehicles reacted to construction zones. The pause followed several of the company’s robotaxis being spotted driving through flooded roads at elevated speeds in Texas. This forced Waymo to issue a software recall for its entire fleet, including its sixth-generation vehicles.