Waymo Officially Launches Next-Gen 'Ojai' Robotaxi Fleet Across Three Major U.S. CitiesWaymo has officially launched its newest autonomous robotaxi model, dubbed Ojai (pronounced Oh-hi), marking a major milestone in its commercial fleet expansion. The new vehicle is initially rolling out in three key launch markets: San Francisco, Phoenix, and Los Angeles.
In development since 2024, the Ojai is built upon a custom minivan platform manufactured by Geely's electric vehicle brand, Zeekr, and integrated with Waymo’s 6th-Generation Autonomous Driving System. While the vehicle retains a traditional driver’s steering wheel, the interior is outfitted with multi-zone front and rear entertainment displays, now fully integrated with Google’s Gemini AI to process natural language voice requests directly from passengers.
Waymo currently operates approximately 300 Ojai vehicles, with aggressive plans to scale the fleet to 5,000 units by the end of the year. This fleet expansion will support Waymo's planned entry into several new metropolitan markets, including Denver, Las Vegas, and San Diego.
Waymo's transition from its older Jaguar I-PACE SUV to the Zeekr-built Ojai platform, unlike many modified consumer vehicles, was designed from the ground up specifically for ride-hailing services. With its lower ground clearance, spacious interior, sliding passenger doors, and optimized sensor placement, the platform significantly reduced manufacturing and operating costs per mile.
The Gemini integration transforms in-cabin interaction from basic touchscreen controls to a conversational personal assistant. Passengers can ask the vehicle to adjust climate settings, customize music, request detours, or inquire about local landmarks during their journey using fluent, contextually relevant speech, rather than rigid system menus.
Expanding to Denver and Las Vegas tests Waymo's sixth-generation autonomous driving system in challenging environments such as snowy highlands in Colorado and extreme desert heat in Nevada. The increase in the number of vehicles to 5,000 demonstrates Waymo's progression beyond limited pilot testing towards a full-scale, multi-state commercial autonomous transportation network.
Source: TechCrunch
Waymo Officially Launches Next-Gen 'Ojai' Robotaxi Fleet Across Three Major U.S. CitiesWaymo has officially launched its newest autonomous robotaxi model, dubbed Ojai (pronounced Oh-hi), marking a major milestone in its commercial fleet expansion. The new vehicle is initially rolling out in three key launch markets: San Francisco, Phoenix, and Los Angeles.
In development since 2024, the Ojai is built upon a custom minivan platform manufactured by Geely's electric vehicle brand, Zeekr, and integrated with Waymo’s 6th-Generation Autonomous Driving System. While the vehicle retains a traditional driver’s steering wheel, the interior is outfitted with multi-zone front and rear entertainment displays, now fully integrated with Google’s Gemini AI to process natural language voice requests directly from passengers.
Waymo currently operates approximately 300 Ojai vehicles, with aggressive plans to scale the fleet to 5,000 units by the end of the year. This fleet expansion will support Waymo's planned entry into several new metropolitan markets, including Denver, Las Vegas, and San Diego.
Waymo's transition from its older Jaguar I-PACE SUV to the Zeekr-built Ojai platform, unlike many modified consumer vehicles, was designed from the ground up specifically for ride-hailing services. With its lower ground clearance, spacious interior, sliding passenger doors, and optimized sensor placement, the platform significantly reduced manufacturing and operating costs per mile.
The Gemini integration transforms in-cabin interaction from basic touchscreen controls to a conversational personal assistant. Passengers can ask the vehicle to adjust climate settings, customize music, request detours, or inquire about local landmarks during their journey using fluent, contextually relevant speech, rather than rigid system menus.
Expanding to Denver and Las Vegas tests Waymo's sixth-generation autonomous driving system in challenging environments such as snowy highlands in Colorado and extreme desert heat in Nevada. The increase in the number of vehicles to 5,000 demonstrates Waymo's progression beyond limited pilot testing towards a full-scale, multi-state commercial autonomous transportation network.
Source: TechCrunch
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