After months of teases, Waymo is ready to offer public rides in its first purpose-built, widely available robotaxi, and it’s billed as a “living room on wheels” with the technology upgrade to match.
The newly launched electric self-driving van, made by China’s Zeekr, has a low entrance and flat floor that help make it more expansive than the Jaguar I-Pace EVs Waymo normally uses. Three touchscreens help all passengers customize the climate and music selection, while braille support, screen reading, and a slew of handles make the Ojai more accessible.
Rides will initially be available for free to some customers in the “coming weeks” in Los Angeles, Phoenix, and San Francisco while Waymo gathers feedback. Access will widen to more riders and cities, including Denver, Las Vegas, and San Diego. Everyone will get to ride “later this year,” the Alphabet-owned company says.
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Waymo launches 6th-generation Driver in the Ojai robotaxi
Rain, snow, and nighttime should be easier to navigate
The Ojai is the first vehicle to use Waymo’s 6th-generation Driver, and the autonomous platform is reportedly much better at handling rough weather and nighttime drives thanks to a combination of new hardware and smarter software.
A new 17-megapixel imager is not only higher resolution, but offers better low-light sensitivity while reducing the number of cameras needed for the car to see its surroundings. Lidar (laser-based detection) can see at longer distances with higher accuracy, while more sensitive radar with updated algorithms is better at navigating through rain and snow.
The 6th-generation Driver isn’t tied to any one car, so it can be adapted to different models (including the Hyundai Ioniq 5) and situations.
The upgrade should not only improve your ride experience, but expand Waymo’s service area. It and other robotaxi operators, like Tesla and Zoox, tend to operate in southern U.S. cities where harsh weather is uncommon. The Ojai and other upgraded vehicles might be more practical further North.
Waymo is still dealing with safety issues
Right vehicle, wrong timing
The Ojai rollout comes at a difficult moment for Waymo. The firm recently suspended service in Atlanta and parts of Texas (including San Antonio) after its robotaxis drove into flooded roads, and days ago stopped rides on freeways after an incident where a car apparently ignored construction zones and even police
Waymo is already working on solutions, and these challenges aren’t limited to the one company. Tesla robotaxis have a crash rate much higher than both human drivers and Waymo, according to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) data. Autonomous driving has long been considered difficult as there are many edge-case scenarios that testing won’t necessarily catch.
An effort to rebuild confidence
In that sense, the Ojai is part of a not-entirely-intentional bid to restore confidence in Waymo. It both promises higher-quality rides and greater safety. If you were wary after recent troubles or lost interest in the novelty of driverless cars, the new van might bring you back.
Source: Waymo
Stephan is the sports journalist for the Maple Grove Report.
