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Waymo has unveiled details of its “Generation 6” autonomous driving system, deployed in Zeekr EVs.
The Alphabet-owned company is confident the collaboration will result in a more accessible robotaxi experience, while the tech components of the vehicle are said to be less expensive.
As revealed in an interview with CNBC, the EV will also be able to operate in more varied weather conditions.
Chip advances and gains in machine learning technology have been cited as catalysts for Generation 6’s much quicker introduction than previous versions of the driverless program.
In 2018, Waymo debuted its commercial autonomous taxi system, which is deployed in Chrysler Pacifica hybrid minivans and Jaguar’s I-PACE SUVs.
As work continues to develop plans for Generation 6, Waymo is striving to increase capacity and service across its One operation areas in Metro Phoenix, San Francisco, and Los Angeles, with Austin, Texas, to follow. Earlier this month, the company expanded its network to include the San Francisco Peninsula, covering Broadmoor, Colma, and Daly City. Waymo now serves about 55 square miles in the San Francisco Bay Area.
The driverless fleet provides around 50,000 paid rides weekly, with over 2 million journeys completed.
Ongoing Testing in New Locations For Waymo
The Waymo-Zeekr EV will provide more space for passengers, including a low step, a high ceiling, and more legroom between seats. To reduce overheads, the number of cameras on each robotaxi has been reduced from 29 to 13, and lidar sensors from five to four.
Last month, Google parent Alphabet bolstered Waymo with a $5 billion investment in its autonomous vehicle division, with high hopes that Generation 6 can deliver progress.
The tech is currently being tested on public roads with drivers in place, and further tests are being conducted in Detroit, Buffalo, and New York City to monitor performance in different weather and traffic conditions.
