Waymo announced Thursday that it is officially introducing its next-generation Ojai robotaxi to the public. The large, light blue electric vans will launch soon in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Phoenix as part of a free initial program before paid rides begin.
The Ojai is actually a heavily modified version of an EV developed by Zeekr, a premium EV brand owned by Chinese automotive giant Geely. But the custom-built version of the Zeekr RT represents Waymo’s shift away from retrofitting mass-market passenger cars, and moving toward a purpose-built robotaxi fleet.
Zeekr builds the physical chassis (the platform, body, battery, and motors) at its factory in Ningbo, China.
Zeekr then ships the stripped-down “gliders” to Waymo’s facility in Mesa, Arizona. There, engineers install Waymo’s proprietary sensors, computing platforms, and connectivity hardware. It’s a bit of a win-win for the company, as it benefits from efficient and high-tech Chinese EV manufacturing without violating U.S. regulations.
Waymo is also planning to roll out Hyundai Ioniq 5 robotaxis, which the Korean automaker assembles in the U.S. So at least theoretically, it should have fewer regulatory hurdles compared to the Chinese-built Zeekr vans. It may be a while before Waymo Ioniq 5s are available, but the Ojais are coming online much sooner.
I’d wager they’re kited out with gps trackers, just like the used car dealers put on a car that’s financed. Costs them about $100 to do it, probably a lot less in the volumes that Waymo or Tesla will be talking about. (Assuming it isn’t already integral to their electronics anyway.)
I mean you could have it give you a ride to somewhere, and then “push” it into a shipping container and ship it somewhere. But then what? What exactly would someone do with it? Take it apart and sell the parts? Reverse engineer it? There are plenty of easier cars to steal and part out!
There are easier cars to steal, with more in-demand parts. But you’d have to steal them where they are - which might not be the most conducive place for stealing. With an AV taxi, you can direct it to go to where you want it to go - maybe a dark concealed byway down by the docks?
Seems pretty unlikely, IMHO - these cars are more connected, and monitoring their environment more, than any other cars on the road. And it probably won’t take too sophisticated an algorithm to protect against cars being ordered to pick up passengers at Crime Alley at 2:00 a.m.
