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There’s something new A self-driving vehicle in the city, or at least in the cities of Los Angeles, San Francisco and Phoenix. Starting today, self-driving vehicle developer Alphabet Waymo It will begin picking up members of the public in the new Ojai (pronounced “oh-hi”) vehicles, pale blue minivans studded with sensors and equipped with steering wheels, though they are designed for driverless travel. For now, rides in these new cars, which can be summoned through the Waymo app, will be free.
It was a Long way to drivewas first announced by Waymo in 2021 and has been tested on public streets since 2024. It is also Strange time For Waymo: The self-driving vehicle company, which is trying to expand rapidly across the United States and the world, has shut down service in… Six American cities last week Due to problems with how its vehicles react to floods. And it might as well I commented to her Highway driving program Due to concerns about operations near construction zones.
WIRED explains everything new and interesting about Ojai, and the complex system that drives it.
Why?
For nearly a decade, Waymo has been testing and deploying its self-driving technology in cars designed for human drivers. Waymo started its services with Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid And move to fully electric Jaguar I-Pace In 2018. However, Ojai is something new: a vehicle designed specifically for autonomous driving.
Ojai’s debut also marks the introduction of Waymo’s latest hardware and software system. The update is on Waymo He saidIt “takes advantage of advances in artificial intelligence” and, like previous systems, combines the inputs of three different types of sensors: cameras, lidar, and radar.
Waymo seems to envision updated technology as the driver (pun intended) behind its big expansion push. The company currently operates in 11 US markets and plans to launch its services in at least 20 different new regions, including London and Tokyo. The system is “designed for long-term growth across multiple vehicle platforms,” said Satish Jayachandran, the company’s vice president of engineering. books Earlier this year. He said the new design should allow the company to expand into different environments, including those with harsh winters.Historically a technical challenge for robotics.
About the Name: Ojai is named after the hippie but upscale Ventura County village known for its arts community.
What’s different about this?
Ojai certainly looks different from the Waymos that came before. The cabin is larger and has more legroom than its Jaguar predecessor, and there are charging ports and cup holders. Waymo says the vehicle is more accessible for people with disabilities thanks to flat floors, a lower height, and grab bars. (The vehicles are not wheelchair accessible.) Waymo says the vehicle cabin is also easier to clean. The company says the car’s features should speed up its operational efficiency: it’s faster to charge and has a modular design that makes repairs easier.
Obviously, Ojai is not A natural The car is equipped with sensors that help it drive on its own: 13 cameras, six radar systems, and four lidar Sensors.
Courtesy of Waymo
Who made this car?
Here’s where it gets interesting: The Ojai is a modified version of a “mobility platform” made by a leading Chinese new energy vehicle manufacturer jelly. More specifically, the bodywork is manufactured by the Geely sub-brand Rememberwhich has sold cars globally since 2023 and is now present in markets across Europe, Asia, the Middle East and Latin America. Noticeably absent among Zeekr’s markets: the US, where these Ojai vehicles will operate.
Waymo says the core vehicles are manufactured in China and then shipped to Waymo’s facility in Arizona, where autonomous systems made in the United States are added on US soil. Waymo spokesperson Sandy Karp says the company is working to produce tens of thousands of driverless-ready vehicles annually.
Wait – I thought Chinese cars weren’t allowed in the US?
This is still (sort of) true. Last January, the Biden administration Final ban rules China and Russia’s connected vehicle technology will be off U.S. roads starting in 2027. At the time, the U.S. government said overseas connected car technology represented a national security threat; It didn’t hurt for American automakers to be either Increasingly threatened By cheap and well-made vehicles Made in China. Chinese-made cars are also effectively banned from the US market High tariffs.
But the prohibitions do not apply to Waymo, The company saysBecause Zeekr only manufactures the “base vehicle” and does not include any connected telematics or software systems, which are added in the United States.
However, the autonomous vehicle developer has received criticism from politicians for its involvement with Geely and Zucker. At a US Congressional hearing in February, a Republican senator criticized the company for “allying itself with China.”
Whatever your feelings about the partnership, the Ojai launch will likely give many American riders their first interaction with Chinese-made cars.
Are you saying the rides are free?
For now, yes. Period, Waymo spokesperson Sandy Karp wrote free The flights will help the company “collect passenger feedback and continue to improve the experience.”
But there’s another reason to ride free, at least in California: Although Waymo has a permit to operate driverless Ojai vehicles in the state, it doesn’t yet have a permit to carry paying passengers inside them. That license is still being considered by a state regulator, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), which before approving the vehicle asked Waymo to answer questions about how the company did it. It deals with unaccompanied minors who ride its vehicles illegallyin addition to its approach to dealing with major disturbances and natural disasters, such as A late 2025 power outage in San Francisco that stranded Waymos across the city. The CPUC will make a decision on Ojai, and on Waymo’s proposed expansion into the East Bay and parts of Southern California, by June 27, says CPUC spokesman Terry Prosper.
“We are awaiting CPUC permission to charge fees for those flights,” Karp writes.
What’s next in the “car” part of self-driving cars?
Waymo is also preparing to add Hyundai IONIQ 5 models For its fleet of automated taxis. The vehicles are part of the partnership Between Hyundai and Waymo It dates back to 2024. The Jaguar I-Pace will be around for a while, too.
