Waymo's newest robotaxi is Chinese-made, built to make money, and now accepting riders

Waymo has started giving select riders in Los Angeles, Phoenix and San Francisco access to its newest robotaxi. The all electric minivan style vehicle is a modified Zeekr made minivan called the Ojai. It is designed to lower costs and handle the use and abuse of hundreds of thousands of riders. Waymo said it will eventually expand access to the vehicle to more riders and cities. For now the company is offering a limited number of customers free rides in the Ojai to gather feedback and refine the robotaxi experience. The launch comes after years of development and testing for a vehicle that is accessible, comfortable, easy to maintain and costs less to build and operate. Waymo recently suspended robotaxi service on freeways in Los Angeles, Miami, Phoenix and San Francisco to improve how its vehicles behave in construction zones. The company also paused services in Atlanta, Georgia and San Antonio, Texas to address flooding problems. The Ojai is loaded with Waymo hardware and software. Its foundation comes from Zeekr, owned by China Geely Holding Group. The minivan was designed in Sweden and manufactured in China on the SEA M architecture. The vehicle is equipped with Waymo sixth generation system including 13 cameras, four lidar sensors, six radar units and external audio receivers. Stripped down Zeekr vehicles without Chinese connected car technology are sent to the Arizona factory for outfitting. Waymo is scaling toward a capacity of tens of thousands of units annually starting with the Ojai. The vehicle has a flat floor, low step in height and gondola style doors for easier entry and exit. It includes charging ports, cup holders, increased leg and head room, grab bars, braille above buttons and three large adaptive screens. It also has an easier to clean interior, faster charging, modular design and increased battery capacity to help reduce costs and make maintenance and repairs more efficient.