Waymo Launches Zeekr-Based Ojai Robotaxis with Next-Gen Tech

The iconic British luxury of the old Jaguar I-Pace models is officially getting swapped for something far more utilitarian. Waymo has begun deploying its brand-new Ojai vehicles—fully electric, custom-designed minivans that ditch the retrofitted vibe of previous generations in favor of a clean, ground-up autonomous design.

These new cabins feature a completely flat floor, sliding doors, and low steps, essentially transforming the back seat into a high-tech living room on wheels. The vehicle's physical shell is actually the Zeekr RT minivan, manufactured in China by automotive giant Geely before getting shipped across the ocean to Arizona. It is there that Waymo engineers perform a digital exorcism, stripping away all Chinese software and telemetry to keep US regulators from having a national security panic attack.

Under the hood—or rather, plastered all over the roof—lies the brand-new sixth-generation Waymo Driver system. This latest autopilot suite slashes costs while packing thirteen cameras, six radars, and four lidars into a package that can even navigate blinding snowstorms, which is great news for anyone who ever wanted to trust their life to a computer during a blizzard.

Initial rollouts are hitting the streets of San Francisco, Phoenix, and Los Angeles with a suspiciously generous price tag of zero dollars. This temporary charity is not just a friendly marketing stunt, but rather a clever legal bypass because the company is still waiting on commercial permits to charge riders, with a regulatory decision looming by June 27.

What started as a whimsical science experiment has officially turned into a high-stakes geopolitical dance of importing Chinese hardware to run American code. The race to replace human drivers is no longer about who has the best artificial intelligence, but who can navigate international trade loopholes and local bureaucracy fast enough to survive.

Source: Waymo