Waymo begins passenger rides in its new Ojai robotaxi

after Several months After testing, Waymo is finally ready to invite non-employee passengers into its newest vehicle, the Zeekr RT minivan, which has been manufactured It was rebranded as Ojai. Waymo says it will start offering access to “select riders” in San Francisco, Los Angeles and Phoenix, before expanding “gradually” to more riders and cities. The rides will be free to start, with Waymo collecting data about the passenger experience in the new vehicle. Paid trips will follow.

Waymo’s current fleet is powered by Jaguar I-Pace vehicles The company’s fifth generation technologywas first introduced in March 2020. But that car has reached the end of its life, after Jaguar discontinued the model at the end of 2024. Ojai will be the debut of the sixth generation system, followed by Hyundai Ioniq 5. Waymo is also participating With Toyota For future models.

Waymo has partnered with Chinese automaker Geely to design a passenger-first self-driving vehicle. Geely owns automakers such as Volvo, Lotus, and Polestar, as well as a stake in British luxury carmaker Aston Martin. The company makes luxury cars mostly for the Chinese market. This appears to be a drawback for Waymo, given the high tariffs and Restrictions on importing vehicles With Chinese software. But Waymo said the vehicles it imports from Zeekr have been stripped of any connected software, bypassing the ban.

Waymo says its sixth-generation system is the smartest, most capable self-driving vehicle ever designed, while also using fewer sensors to lower its overall costs. Its cameras are more powerful, its lidar is able to see things that cameras might miss, and its improved radar is able to handle extreme weather conditions. But more importantly, it’s designed for “high-volume production,” with Waymo’s manufacturing partners able to produce “tens of thousands of units per year.”

The Ojai/Zeekr features a more spacious cabin, more legroom, three large screens, charging ports, and cup holders. The vehicle can seat up to four passengers, but Waymo says it’s more accessible than its previous vehicles, with a flat floor and a lower height for easier entry, Braille instructions, and grab bars. The Ojai will also be easier to maintain and clean, with faster EV charging and increased battery capacity.

The announcement comes at the end of a difficult couple of weeks for Waymo. Owned alphabet Suspended driving on the highway in all its cities due to concerns about how its vehicles would interact with construction zones. This stop came after several of the company’s robotaxis were seen driving through flooded roads at high speeds in Texas, forcing Waymo to stop. Program call version For its entire fleet, including sixth generation vehicles.