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Waymo to Deploy New Ojai Robotaxi to Expand Public Rides
AV Is Built in Partnership With Geely's Zeekr
Key Takeaways:
- Waymo is launching the new Ojai autonomous minivan, offering fully driverless public rides in cities such as San Francisco, Los Angeles and Phoenix.
- The shift from retrofitted vehicles to a purpose-built platform aims to cut manufacturing and operating costs while improving rider comfort with a roomier, more accessible cabin.
- The vehicle is built with Geely’s Zeekr unit in China and finished in the U.S., highlighting growing reliance on Chinese EV partners even as U.S. restrictions target China-linked vehicle technology.
Alphabet Inc.’s Waymo unit will deploy a new autonomous vehicle designed specifically for robotaxi use, offering public rides in California and Arizona without human supervision.
Dubbed the Ojai, the self-driving vehicle will initially be made available to select riders in San Francisco, Los Angeles and Phoenix, Waymo said May 28 in a blog post. The four-seat minivan is being built with Zeekr, an arm of China-based automaker Geely Automobile Holdings, through a partnership the companies announced in 2021.
Waymo is the leader in offering ride-hailing services using autonomous vehicles without a human driver in the U.S., though Tesla Inc. and Amazon.com Inc.’s Zoox are beginning to make inroads. Waymo is charging fares for rides in cities including San Francisco, Phoenix and Atlanta and testing in others.
The new vehicle marks an evolution of Waymo’s recent fleet strategy utilizing retrofitted consumer models. A more purpose-built vehicle improves the economics for the company, while also enhancing the customer experience, Waymo says. The vehicle features a roomier cabin than a traditional car and accessibility features such as a flat floor and low step-in height. It will also debut the latest generation of Waymo’s autonomous driving system, the company said.
Initial Ojai rides will be free of charge to gather feedback from users before adding more cities over time.
Building the vehicle jointly with Geely’s Zeekr unit highlights how Western companies are increasingly looking to partner with Chinese automakers despite U.S. policies that have largely shut those companies out of the American market. The U.S. Commerce Department has imposed a ban on connected vehicles and related technologies linked to China.
Our fleet is expanding! ✨ Meet Ojai, powered by our sixth-gen Waymo Driver. Welcoming riders soon in LA, Phoenix, and San Francisco. pic.twitter.com/JwZYYj1qoi — Waymo (@Waymo) May 28, 2026
Waymo is introducing the new vehicle in markets where weather is more favorable and traffic conditions are well tested. The company recently suspended service in multiple U.S. cities after some of its vehicles drove into flooded roads.
The shuttle-like Ojai vehicle is designed in Sweden and built on an electric “skateboard platform” that’s imported to the U.S. from China without any self-driving or connectivity technology.
Waymo then integrates its autonomous driving system during final assembly at its factory in Mesa, Ariz., alongside Magna International Inc. The company said it’s working to increase production at the plant to tens of thousands of vehicles per year.
