Waymo today unveiled their sixth-generation self-driving car that combines their driverless technology with the body of a vehicle produced by Zeekr – a sub-brand under Geely. It is now offered to Waymo One robotics customers along with the Jaguar I-PACE-powered Gen-5 vehicle. Waymo announced a collaboration with Geeely for the development of this taxi in 2022 with it being based on the SEA-M electric vehicle platform.
Each of these new robotections is equipped with 13 cameras, 4 LiDARs, 6 radars and a network of external audio sensors that Waymo says will improve its self-driving capabilities. This is a reduction from the 29 cameras and 5 LiDARs used on Gen-5 vehicles.
With this network of sensors, each Wayno-Zeekr can operate better in various weather conditions, day and night. Vehicle sight distance also increases up to 500 meters ahead.
This robot has a lower floor to make it easier for passengers to get on and off, especially the disabled. The cabin space is also larger to improve passenger comfort. It is currently being tested on public roads but with a human driver to ensure it is safe to use before being allowed to operate fully self-driving like the Gen-5.
Waymo says Waymo One currently conducts 50,000 self-driving trips per day and has so far taken more than 2 million trips since the robotaxis service was offered in 2018.