Waymo's Most Advanced Self-Driving System Hits The Road

"Waymo's latest-generation hardware suite for driverless taxis is ready for prime time. The sixth-generation Driver suite is cheaper, more advanced and much more scalable than the previous hardware, which was exclusively fitted to the Jaguar I-Pace EV. The robotaxi company's new hardware suite uses a combination of high-definition cameras, lidar and radar to create a comprehensive 360-degree view of the vehicle's surroundings, while also offering several fallback options, compared to Tesla's vision-only approach."

"The sixth-generation Waymo Driver will be fitted to the Zeekr-made Ojai electric minivan first, and the company will start offering robotaxi rides to employees in Los Angeles and San Francisco soon. Public rides will follow, and the company's fleet will also start using Hyundai Ioniq 5 EVs fitted with the same Driver suite. It's all part of Waymo's plan to significantly cut back spending and boost its presence in the increasingly crowded robotaxi market, where it currently leads the pack."

"The sixth-gen Driver suite was built specifically for high-volume production, with the Alphabet-owned company claiming that the sensor suite can be easily adapted to any kind of vehicle for easier and faster rollout. Waymo wants to add 20 new cities to its portfolio this year, which means it will need a lot more cars on the road, but the company has already started scaling its factory in Metro Phoenix to be able to churn out tens of thousands of Driver hardware kits every year."

The sixth-generation Waymo Driver is a compact, lower-cost sensor suite combining high-definition cameras, lidar, and radar to deliver a 360-degree view and multiple fallback systems. The suite is being installed first on the Zeekr-made Ojai electric minivan and will soon appear on Hyundai Ioniq 5 crossovers. Employee robotaxi rides will begin in Los Angeles and San Francisco, with public service to follow. The hardware was designed for high-volume production and adaptable installation across vehicle types. Waymo is scaling a Metro Phoenix factory to produce tens of thousands of hardware kits annually, supporting plans to add 20 new cities.

Read at insideevs.com