The robot has a new shell. It is called Ojai.
Waymo spent nearly a decade trying to shove its brain into cars that were never meant to drive themselves. First the Chrysler Pacifica. Then the Jaguar I-Pace. Fine machines. Human designs. But Ojai is different. Built for the void. No steering wheel. No pedals. Just space for sensors and passengers.
“Leverages breakthroughs in AI,” Waymo claims.
The new system mixes cameras, lidar, and radar inputs. It looks clean. It drives better, apparently.
Expansion is the goal. Waymo wants twenty new markets. London. Tokyo. Places with snow—something their robots historically struggle with. Satish Jeyachandran says this tech is ready for brutal winters. Time will tell.
The name comes from a hip, artsy town in Ventura County. Fitting. It feels upscale. A bit detached.
The Guts
It looks odd. Obviously. The cabin is bigger. More legroom than the Jaguar ever had. Charging ports sit where mirrors used to. Cup holders. Flat floors for easier access. Grab bars. Not wheelchair accessible yet, though. Just better for those who can stand.
It cleans easier. Repairs are modular. Fast. Efficient.
The exterior is a sensor minefield. 13 cameras. Six radar systems. Four lidar units. It watches everything. It misses nothing.
Made in China
Here is the kicker.
Geely made it. Specifically, the Zeekr sub-brand. They build the base vehicle in China. Then ship it to Arizona. Then Waymo slaps the US-made autonomous brain onto the body on American soil.
Zeekr sells cars in Europe, Asia, Latin America. Not the US. Yet.
So how does this work?
Biden banned Chinese connected-car tech in 2027 on national security grounds. Tariffs keep the price high. American manufacturers hate the competition. It is a political landmine.
But Zeekr only makes the bare bones. No software. No telematics. None of the stuff that talks to foreign servers.
Politicians aren’t happy anyway. One senator called it “getting in bed with China” on the House floor.
Does it matter to the rider? Maybe not. You are going to get in the car eventually. It will drive you somewhere. It just happens to have a Chinese frame.
Free For Now
Yes. The rides are gratis.
Sandy Karp says it is about gathering feedback. Refining the experience.
Also? The state says so.
Waymo has a permit to drive. They don’t have permission to charge yet. The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) is still looking at their application. They have questions. Big ones.
How do they handle kids riding alone without parents?
What happens during a blackout? Like the San Francisco outage in late 2025 when dozens of Waymos sat frozen on streets?
The CPUC decides by June 27. Until then, it is free. Or it is illegal to pay.
Other Irons
Waymo isn’t done with cars that look like normal cars. They are adding Hyundai Ioniq 5 models soon. The Jaguars are staying a while.
The ecosystem is shifting fast.
Tesla admits its remote operators caused crashes. Drones flew into fences. Humans steered from afar, slowly and clumsily.
Meanwhile, Beijing Auto Show 2026 proves China is leading on EV intelligence. Nineteen exciting cars. American tech is catching up. Barely.
New York and Los Angeles are teaming up for EV advocacy after the Trump administration backed off electrification. Electric police cars. Electric snowplows. Resistance is futile?
But riders are worried. First responders say Waymos are getting worse. A police official told regulators the tech launched too fast, too big.
There is the kid issue again. Solo minors in the back seat. Age verification is coming. Or trying to come.
US automakers like Ford and GM are pivoting. Away from EVs? No, toward battery storage and AI.
SpaceX spends $2.8 billion on gas turbines for data centers. Carbon emissions? Who cares? AI needs power.
Even your child’s toy is connected to the cloud. A “vibe-coding” startup wants to close the feedback loop on AI toys. Cute bears that listen. Creepy? Definitely.
Illinois passed an AI safety bill. Strongest in the US. Google. Anthropic. They need third-party audits now.
And the EU mandates breathalyzers for all new cars. By 2050, no drunk driving. Or the car won’t start.
DHS runs drones over the US-Canada border. 5G streams intelligence. The war on privacy continues.
Ojai rolls into the city. Free ride. Chinese metal. American brain.
Where does it stop?
