Waymo’s new robotaxi is certain to be a game changer for the over-packers.
Waymo, Alphabet’s robotaxi company, said on Thursday that it will start giving select riders access to its new baby-blue vehicle, the Ojai, in San Francisco, Phoenix, and Los Angeles over the next several weeks.
The Ojai — pronounced “Oh-hi” — has a more spacious interior, though it fits the same number of passengers as Waymo’s four-seater Jaguar. The vehicle also features customizations that will improve riders’ control over their experience, Waymo said.
The electric minivan will be the first new vehicle added to Waymo’s public fleet, which has so far consisted entirely of Jaguar I-PACE SUVs.
We (Business Insider reporters Lloyd Lee and Rya Jetha) took a spin in the Ojai with a Waymo spokesperson last Friday in San Francisco to experience the new robotaxi for ourselves.
The ride was remarkably roomy, even though the car paused twice in the Mission Bay neighborhood and had to connect to rider support. We brought six suitcases to test how much luggage the Ojai could handle, and were surprised by how much space was left over.
Waymo said it plans to launch the Ojai in more cities, including San Diego, Las Vegas, and Denver, later in the summer. A Waymo spokesperson told Business Insider that the company will start with 100 Ojais across cities for public rides.
Waymo’s Ojai robotaxi is unlike any other car
The Ojai looks unlike any other car on US roads.
Geely, a Chinese EV company, manufactures the car, which is then retrofitted with Waymo’s proprietary sensors and AI driver.
Being inside the Ojai feels like cruising around in a small Sprinter van. The legroom is cavernous, the interior is plush, and the doors open carriage-style, similar to those on Waymo’s Amazon-owned competitor, Zoox.
The driver’s seat still has a steering wheel, though the passenger control screens are larger, and the windshield offers a wider view of the road.
The Ojai is the first robotaxi to feature Waymo’s sixth-generation AI driver, which allows for fully autonomous operations in snowier cities and has a smaller sensor suite than previous software packages. While Waymo’s Jaguars have five lidars, six radars, and 29 cameras, the Ojais have four lidars, six radars, and 13 cameras.
A Waymo spokesperson said the company reduced costs and the sensor suite in part by developing a camera with high dynamic range and thermal stability, allowing the Ojai to see farther in both low and bright lighting conditions.
“Even though we reduced the costs, we increased the capabilities,” the spokesperson said.
Waymo did not say how much the Ojai costs compared with the Jaguar. A new Jaguar I-PACE started at about $72,000 in its final 2024 model year, before Waymo’s sensors and autonomous-driving hardware were added. Zeekr’s consumer version of a similar electric minivan sells in China for around $40,000. Waymo said the Ojai will help the company scale operations in more communities.
As access to the Ojai rolls out, riders can choose between the Ojai and the Jaguar, or will be automatically matched with the optimal vehicle for the trip.
Here’s what’s new about Waymo’s Ojai
To test how spacious the Ojai is, we brought along six suitcases — two standard checked bags and four carry-ons. Three people rode inside the Ojai, including the Waymo spokesperson.
At first glance, the trunk space looked tight. But the cabin had enough clearance for us to stand up two checked bags and stack two carry-ons on top. That’s a step up from the Jaguar I-PACE, which struggled to fit three bags until we played a bit of luggage Tetris. Interestingly, Waymo said the Ojai features similar trunk space to the Jaguar.
We had no trouble fitting the two remaining carry-ons in the passenger row. Lee, who is 5-foot-10 and weighs 200 pounds, could place one suitcase in front of his legs while Jetha sat in the front passenger seat without feeling cramped.
The cabin floor is completely flat, meaning there was likely enough room to fit another checked bag and a rider between the back-seat passengers. The Ojai has about a foot more legroom in the rear than the Jaguar. Waymo’s Jaguar likely can’t comfortably fit three passengers and the leftover carry-ons that didn’t fit in the trunk.
Our verdict on Waymo’s Ojai
We did have a minor glitch in our ride. We originally planned to stop at a hotel in San Francisco and cosplay arriving from the airport in a robotaxi, suitcases and all. We never made it to our destination. At first, the spokesperson entered the wrong address. After it was corrected, the vehicle paused twice to contact rider support. By the time the Ojai was ready to continue, it was time to head back to the depot.
Waymo said the vehicle paused while the Waymo Driver confirmed its interpretation of the surrounding environment before proceeding.
Despite the glitch, Waymo delivers its promise on a more spacious ride with the Ojai, without question.
We were, however, a little disappointed that Waymo hasn’t increased the number of passengers it can fit in a robotaxi. A Waymo spokesperson previously told Business Insider that there could be a future where the company removes the steering wheel inside the Ojai for a fifth passenger.
For now, with only four seats, the Ojai seems best suited for riders who need extra space: airport travelers with loads of bags or parents riding with kids. And if you’re one of those people who uses Waymo as a mobile office, you now have a roomier option.
Overall, we had a great time during our Ojai test drive. We luxuriated in the vehicle’s spaciousness and turned on a Disney playlist as we cruised from Waymo’s Bayview depot, the largest in the city, to Mission Bay.
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