Waymo is providing select riders in Los Angeles, Phoenix, and San Francisco access to its newest all-electric, minivan-like robotaxi called the Ojai. The vehicle is offered as free rides to a limited number of customers to gather feedback and refine the experience. Waymo plans to expand access to more riders and cities over time. The Ojai is intended to be accessible, comfortable, easy to maintain, and cheaper to build and operate. Its launch follows service suspensions in multiple cities to improve behavior in construction zones and address flooding-related problems. The Ojai is built on Zeekr’s SEA-M architecture and uses Waymo’s sixth-generation sensing system with multiple cameras and lidar.
"Waymo said Thursday it will eventually expand access to the vehicle, a modified Zeekr-made minivan called the Ojai (pronounced oh-hi), to more riders and cities. For now, the Alphabet-owned company is offering a limited number of customers free rides in the Ojai to gather feedback and further refine the robotaxi experience."
"The launch of the Ojai comes after years of development and testing - all in the pursuit of creating a vehicle that is accessible, comfortable, easy-to-maintain, and that importantly costs less to build and operate. Its arrival also comes amid a challenging time for Waymo, which recently suspended robotaxi service on freeways in Los Angeles, Miami, Phoenix, and San Francisco to improve how its vehicles behave in construction zones."
"While the vehicle is loaded with Waymo's hardware and software, its foundation comes from Zeekr, the brand owned by China's Geely Holdings. The companies partnered in 2021 and showed off a concept of the purpose-built robotaxi in late 2022. Waymo has spent nearly two years testing the prototype, and later a production-intent version of the vehicle on public roads."
"The minivan, which was designed in Sweden, is based on the SEA-M architecture, a refined version of Zeekr's original Sustainable Experience Architecture (SEA) meant for "future mobility products" like robotaxis and logistics vehicles. The Ojai is equipped with Waymo's sixth-generation system - including 13 cameras, four lidar sens"
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