- Waymo's newest vehicle has a name: Ojai.
- Made by Chinese automaker Zeekr, the electric van will roll out to Waymo's various markets later this year.
- The company still has about 1,000 more Jaguar I-Pace EVs on order and those could stay in service for years. But after that, Waymo is moving to these vans and Hyundai Ioniq 5s.
Waymo spent much of last year in rapid expansion mode, moving into Austin, Los Angeles, Atlanta and other cities—all while announcing even more ambitious growth into Minneapolis, London, Tokyo and possibly even New York City. Amazingly, the Alphabet-owned robotaxi company has done all of that on the strength of the aging Jaguar I-Pace.
But Jaguar's electric crossover is getting some much-needed backup soon. And at CES 2026 this week, Waymo officials offered a few more details about what's coming next. Its next model, a van built by the Chinese automaker Zeekr, even gets a name: the Waymo Ojai.
The name, which comes from a California city, was chosen because American consumers aren't especially familiar with the Zeekr brand, Waymo spokesman Chris Bonelli said. But they'll likely be getting their first look soon as Waymo adds the vans to the mix in Dallas, Denver, Las Vegas, Miami, Houston and other cities this year.
"The Ojai is going to be deployed amongst our markets," Bonelli said, declining to specify which cities might get the vans first. "We're looking to scale into 20-plus additional cities this year, on top of the five we currently operate in. We will need all the vehicles we can get deployed."
We've already seen them testing in San Diego, where Waymo plans to deploy robotaxis next year. Though the Ojai name is new, Deputy Editor Mack Hogan has seen the Zeekr taxis combing San Diego since November, noting that they look like a clear upgrade over the Jaguar I-Pace robotaxis currently in Waymo service.
Bonelli said the electric vans are made in China by Zeekr and then imported to the U.S. before being fitted with Waymo's software suite and sensor array. Although it shares a good deal of hardware with Zeekr's other models, the van—previously known as the Zeekr RT—is made exclusively for Waymo. The vans are outfitted with cameras, radar, lidar and dedicated cleaning mechanisms to keep those sensors working properly.
According to various reports, the former Zeekr RT has an 800-volt electrical architecture for fast charging (a significant upgrade from the I-Pace) and it is believed to have a 76-kilowatt-hour lithium-iron phosphate battery. Its official U.S. range is unknown, although the nature of ride-hailing means that shorter trips make overall range less important than passenger cars.
The Ojai represents a big step up in sensor technology as well. It uses 13 cameras, four lidars, six radars and an array of external audio receivers. While that's less than half the cameras on the current I-Pace, advancements in technology make overall performance better, Bonelli said. "Greatly reducing those sensors is one big part of our ability to scale this vehicle more cost-effectively, and reduce complexity in the manufacturing process," he said.
But there's an upside to riders, too: this vehicle's sensors are designed to perform better in adverse weather conditions, which will be key as Waymo grows well beyond California and Austin.
"The sensor pods are designed not to collect snow and ice, but also are equipped with onboard heaters to help any ice buildup, as well as small wipers and fluid," he said. That keeps ice, road grime and salt from blocking the sensors so the Waymo vehicle can continue operating even in adverse weather conditions.
Bonelli said that while the Ojai is built in China and then outfitted with Waymo's sensor and software suite, it won't be subject to the kinds of restrictions that keep Chinese cars out of American consumers' hands for now.
But the Zeekr-made cab will get additional backup soon. Waymo is also set to roll out new Hyundai Ioniq 5 cabs as well, and those also run the company's latest sixth-generation hardware and software. Even so, Waymo has about 1,000 more Jaguar I-Paces still on order, and those—plus any ones currently on the road—still have hundreds of thousands of miles left on their duty cycles before retirement. Over time, the Waymo mix will be more Hyundai and Zeekr than Jaguar, but certain markets may see all three, Bonelli said.
He also added that Waymo is learning from a recent debacle in San Francisco, where a blackout shut down traffic lights and caused scores of the autonomous taxis to idle in the streets. As Waymo grows into more cities this year, it's possible that similar unforeseen events could happen in new markets.
"Not only is the software being improved all the time for our deployment, but we're also improving our operations and the back end," he said. "Everything that happens on the road today is a learning opportunity for us to continue to grow. I think we would not be at the scale that we are now if we were not successfully deploying with happy, returning, paying riders."
Gallery: Waymo at CES 2026
Contact the author: patrick.george@insideevs.com
