Waymo’s Ojai Robotaxi Rolls Out, is Vehicle Built From the Start for People Who Ride

Waymo recently opened its newest vehicle to select riders in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Phoenix. The company calls it the Ojai. This one differs from every earlier Waymo vehicle because engineers designed it from the ground up as a robotaxi instead of starting with a regular passenger car and adding self-driving gear later.

Riders immediately notice the difference as soon as the doors swing open, which is similar to walking into an elevator. The doors swing out wide to the side, the step is set low, and the floor inside is completely level, so there’s no unpleasant climb or shuffling around to get in, which is especially useful if you’re carrying bags or using a mobility device.

The cabin is far larger than what most people are used to in the older Jaguar-based fleet. There are four seats organized in a comfortable arrangement that provides plenty of legroom and shoulder room, while the grab handles incorporated into the seats give you something to hold onto when getting in / out. Interior materials were chosen specifically to make cleaning up after each ride a breeze, and there are three large screens placed in an easily accessible location; one controls the temperature, the others control the music and other trip settings, keeping everything simple and in one place so you don’t have to dig out your phone during the ride.

Waymo worked with Zeekr to create the base platform in China before assembling and integrating the self-driving system in Mesa, Arizona. The end result is a vehicle designed from the ground up to be driverless, with no steering wheel, pedals, or regular dashboard to take up space. Every inch of the inside is dedicated to either the passengers or the staff that keeps the fleet running.

The Ojai features Waymo’s sixth generation driving system. It handles snow and heavy rain much better, audio receivers can hear sirens and other vital sounds more clearly, and low-light performance has been improved. To be honest, the overall sensor count has decreased compared to previous vehicles, which helps to reduce manufacturing costs when they produce thousands of vehicles per year.

Production is ramping up at their Arizona plant, with plans to produce tens of thousands of vehicles per year, and they now have approximately 100 Ojai units on the road. With cheaper construction expenses, they have more room to expand the fleet without breaking the bank, which is fortunate because they want to reach one million weekly trips by the end of the year.

The first few trips in Ojai are free for a small number of riders in the first three cities to gather feedback before it is made available to the general public. They have Denver, Las Vegas, and San Diego lined up to receive automobiles in the coming months, and then it will be open to the general public later this year.