Waymo Zeekr A No-Go, Waymo Ojai A Go

It feels like ages since the Zeekr Waymo robotaxi was revealed, and we’re still waiting for it to be deployed. However, it’s supposed to be coming soon, and was recently spotted testing in Southern California. I never thought it was going to be called a Waymo Zeekr — I thought it’d just be called a Waymo. However, I guess there is some branding that’s going to go on with these custom-built vehicles — but Zeekr won’t be mentioned, even though I think that’s a wicked cool name. (I’m surely biased from having a name that starts with a Z, but I assume others think it’s cool too?)

Apparently, there is some concern about linking the robotaxi company to a Chinese EV producer, despite using this Chinese EV producer as a supplier, and they’d rather link themselves to a cool place in California.

These Zeekr robotaxis will receive the name Ojai (pronunciation: “oh-hi”). Ojai is a “village in the Topatopa Mountains above Los Angeles that is known for its arts community and focus on wellness,” TechCrunch shares. TechCrunch was told by a Waymo rep that customers entering an Ojai robotaxi may be greeted with an “Oh, hi” followed by their name. That is a bit endearing, and a bit weird, but I assume most riders will appreciate it. (Privacy-obsessed ones may not.)

Waymo had the latest version of the Ojai robotaxi at CES 2026. It did include a steering wheel, despite the original prototype of the Zeekr robotaxi not having one. US regulations and all. Other equipment on the robotaxi vehicle include 13 cameras, 4 lidar sensors, 6 radar sensors, external audio receivers, and “the tiniest sensor wipers you’ve ever seen.”

Waymo has had a lot of news lately. Here’s a list of stories demonstrating its rapid progress:

Clearly, the company’s robotaxi capabilities are looking good and operations are scaling up rapidly. However, there are still some bugs, in particular regarding bridges. I covered one story on this issue recently, when a Waymo robotaxi blocked a small bridge in Venice, California, for about 45 minutes when there was a boat parade going under it. A friend of mine sent the following news of another such bridge problem in Miami, Florida, where Waymo robotaxis are currently testing:

Hmm, whatever vehicle Waymo is using, it needs to figure out a solution for bridges, where I presume the sensors are seeing boats passing underneath and the AI is thinking they are ground vehicles that the robotaxi has to avoid. Who knows, but it’s clearly a problem Waymo needs to solve.