Waymo’s Robotaxi Empire: Unpacking the Ojai Gambit

Hustler Words – Waymo, Alphabet’s pioneering autonomous driving subsidiary, is executing an aggressive commercial expansion, rapidly broadening its robotaxi footprint across the United States. While the sheer scale of its geographic reach and rider adoption appears impressive at first glance, a deeper dive into its operational data reveals a highly concentrated strategic deployment, particularly in two key states.

Over the past two years, Waymo’s rollout has mirrored the capabilities of a well-resourced technology giant. From operating in just three cities in September 2024 – Phoenix, Los Angeles, and San Francisco – the company now provides robotaxi services in 15 U.S. cities, with the majority of these launches occurring within the last year. This accelerated expansion has propelled ridership to unprecedented levels, with Waymo now facilitating an average of 500,000 paid robotaxi journeys weekly.

However, a closer examination of its approximately 4,000-vehicle fleet indicates a pronounced focus on California and Texas, which collectively host about 80% of Waymo’s autonomous vehicles. Texas, in particular, has emerged as a significant growth engine, witnessing a nearly 50% increase in Waymo’s fleet size over the past three weeks alone. This surge is largely attributed to the introduction of a new, Chinese-built minivan, which Waymo is banking on to achieve mass scalability, even as import tariffs escalate its operational costs.

The remaining 800 or so vehicles are distributed across other states, including Arizona and Florida, another burgeoning market for autonomous services. While the familiar white Jaguar I-Pace electric SUVs still comprise a significant portion, the new minivan, branded "Ojai" by Waymo and based on a modified Zeekr RT, is steadily gaining prominence. Waymo’s enduring commitment to California is logical, given its Silicon Valley roots and the state’s early tech adoption demographics.

The recent explosion of Waymo’s presence in Texas, however, presents a more compelling narrative. According to state vehicle registrations and data from the Texas Autonomous Vehicle Fleet Tracker, Waymo’s Texas fleet swelled by 49% in just three weeks, reaching 1,102 registered autonomous vehicles as of September 24. Waymo initiated commercial service in Austin in March 2025 through a partnership with Uber, allowing users to hail its robotaxis via the Uber app. Since then, its services have extended to Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio.

After a period of relatively static growth through the summer, with its Texas fleet inching from around 600 vehicles in June to over 700 by late August, September marked a pivotal acceleration. This fleet surge was predominantly fueled by the influx of new Ojai minivans, which now constitute approximately one-third of Waymo’s Texas fleet, a share projected to expand further.

The Ojai robotaxi, engineered with Waymo’s sixth-generation self-driving system, is designed to be the cornerstone of Waymo’s strategy for achieving widespread adoption. Its interior is robustly constructed for intensive use, featuring an enhanced rider interface and Google’s Gemini AI, which functions as an in-car assistant. Beneath its advanced autonomous technology, the Ojai is fundamentally a minivan manufactured by Zeekr, a brand under China’s Geely Holding Group, which also owns Volvo. The vehicle utilizes Zeekr’s SEA-M platform, a modular architecture specifically developed for shared mobility applications like robotaxis and delivery vans. The base Zeekr units are imported into the U.S. devoid of any Chinese connected-car technology, then transported to Waymo’s Arizona facility for the integration of its proprietary self-driving system.

The Ojai is envisioned as a critical component in driving down operational costs and ultimately guiding Waymo toward profitability. Yet, current U.S. trade policies, which impose substantial import tariffs on vehicles manufactured in China, are presently offsetting potential savings, increasing the cost of each Ojai unit Waymo brings into the country. Despite these financial headwinds, Waymo appears committed to this investment. New York-based research firm MoffettNathanson, which meticulously tracks Ojai imports, indicated in its September report that Waymo is on track to import 5,100 of these vehicles into the U.S. by the close of the year. While Texas is undoubtedly a primary destination for these new units, emerging markets like Florida, where Waymo operates in three cities, and newer locations such as Las Vegas are also anticipated to receive a significant allocation.