Waymo Unveils Sixth-Gen Autonomous Driving System

Waymo has unveiled its sixth-generation autonomous driving system, built into Geely Zeekr electric vehicles, featuring fewer and more efficient sensors to reduce costs while maintaining safety. The new system boasts 16 cameras, 5 lidar, 6 radar, and external audio receivers, providing overlapping fields of view up to 500 meters in various weather conditions. Waymo plans to expand its robotaxi services beyond warm-weather cities like San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Phoenix, into harsher climates following successful tests in cities such as Detroit and Buffalo. Despite potential cost savings from the reduced sensor count, Waymo may face increased production costs due to impending U.S. tariffs on Chinese-made electric vehicles. Alphabet has invested an additional $5 billion to scale the service, which currently completes about 50,000 paid trips per week. The new robotaxis are expected to hit the market faster due to advancements in machine learning and semiconductor technology.