Robot model
Waymo Driver (6th gen)
The sixth-generation Waymo Driver is Waymo's autonomous driving stack for fully autonomous robotaxi service.
- Manufacturer
- Waymo
- Form factor
- av
- Maturity
- commercial
- Lifecycle
- active
- Deployments
- 29
- Website
- waymo.com ↗
The verified answer
As of Aug 2026, DEPLOY verifies Waymo Driver (6th gen), a av by Waymo (commercial): 29 verified deployments on record. 4 sources back the record.
Waymo Driver (6th gen) has 3 NHTSA recalls and 1 NHTSA investigation on record; no clearances are recorded in the registry.
See all 4 filingsOverview
The sixth-generation Waymo Driver is Waymo's autonomous driving stack for fully autonomous robotaxi service. The platform integrates 13 cameras, 4 lidars, 6 radars, and external audio receivers, with overlapping 360° coverage and a detection range up to roughly 500 meters in nominal conditions. Compared to the fifth-generation system on the Jaguar I-PACE, the sixth-gen system uses 42% fewer total sensors.
Waymo says the per-unit hardware cost is targeted under $20,000 — a more than 50% reduction from the 5th-gen system. Currently runs on the Zeekr RT (sold as the “Ojai” robotaxi, purpose-built without a steering wheel or pedals) and the Hyundai IONIQ 5; began fully autonomous commercial operations in February 2026.
Verified vs. claimed
- Maturity stage
- commercial(Commercially deployed with revenue-generating operations.)
- Sources on file
- View all sources →
Key facts
Autonomy level
Sensor suite
Detection range
Sensor cost (6th-gen)
Sensor reduction
Camera specs
LiDAR
Radar
Compute platform
5th-gen sensor cost (Bloomberg)
Per-mile operating cost
Cash contribution margin
Price
Vehicle platforms
Fleet size
Key suppliers
Specs
Drive mode
Generation
Lidar count
Radar count
Camera count
Vehicle platforms
External audio receivers
Detection range m nominal approx
Target unit cost usd under waymo stated
Data & sources
News coverage
1
Web sources
3
4 sources backing this record.View all →
Availability and pricing
- Availability
- Not sold (internal use)
- Price
- $10 to $20 (actual sale price)as of 2024-08-01
- Units in field
- 1500 verified / 3500 claimed
- Sales model
- Not for sale
- Lead time
- Not disclosed
Autonomy: verified vs claimed
- What it actually does
- Autonomous
Accountability: Waymo has a Claim Integrity of 50% (1 of 2 public claims verified). See the industry ledger.
Pricing
One-time purchase
$10 - $20 USDactual sale priceas of 2024-08-01
Price status: actual-sale-price = real published price at time of sale; manufacturer-target = vendor target, not yet realized; analyst-estimate = third-party projection, not a vendor figure; not-announced = no price on record.
Prices verified as of Aug 1, 2024
Featured deployment
Deployments (29)
- Waymo Driver (6th gen) at Arizonaoperational
Waymo expanding to East Valley neighborhoods in metro Phoenix.
- Waymo Driver (6th gen) at Texasannounced
Waymo plans to launch driverless robotaxi service in 5 additional US cities in 2026, with 3 in Texas and 2 in Florida, expanding commercial footprint to roughly 10 cities.
Waymo deploying driverless cars to 15 US cities and counting.
CPUC approved Waymo to expand driverless robotaxi service across 18 California counties including Sacramento as a new market.
Waymo began manually driving vehicles in Portland to familiarize the Waymo Driver with the city's streetscapes; fully autonomous service to follow.
Waymo now has 2,500 robotaxis in the U.S.
Waymo NYC permit expired March 31, 2026.
Waymo testing autonomous operations with safety drivers in Philadelphia.
Waymo testing autonomous operations with safety drivers in Boston, a winter-weather city.
Waymo plans robotaxi service in DC.
Waymo Driver (6th gen) on the deployment map
View the global mapWhere Waymo Driver (6th gen) is verified operating. Explore the deployment map by place and type.
Recent activity
Every change to this record is dated, sourced, and independently verified where marked.
- Deployment verifiedVerifiedAug 4, 2026
at Portland, Oregon, USA
- Incident recordedJul 28, 2026
Rep. Kevin Mullin proposes AV Emergency Response Coordination Act requiring national...
- Incident recordedJul 28, 2026
Santa Monica judge issues preliminary injunction banning overnight operations at two...
- Incident recordedJul 28, 2026
Waymo racks up 83 parking citations totaling $9,325 in Austin since 2024 launch
- Incident recordedJul 26, 2026
Waymo robotaxi struck by blue sedan that had just hit a pedestrian in Pico-Union, Los...
Deployment-verified media (4)
Waymo's look at the rider experience during a fully driverless Waymo One trip, with no safety operator in the vehicle. Service is geofenced and permitted city by city.
From deployment: Phoenix
Waymo's guide to hailing a fully autonomous Waymo One robotaxi ride. Service is fully driverless (no safety operator) within geofenced areas; the Waymo Driver is the autonomous system, distinct from the vehicle.
From deployment: Phoenix
Official Waymo video documenting Steve Mahan experiencing the world's first fully autonomous ride on public roads in 2015. The vehicle had no steering wheel, no pedals, and no test driver.
From deployment: Phoenix
Manufacturer-attributed media (2)
Manufacturer-supplied media at the model level. Not tied to an independently verified named-site deployment. Verification posture is product-showcase from the maker, distinct from the deployment-verified evidence in the section above.
Waymo's presentation of its safety research on the Waymo Driver, comparing its crash rates to human-driven benchmarks. The safety findings are Waymo's own analysis.
Waymo's explainer of how the Waymo Driver senses, solves, and moves (perception, prediction, and planning). The 'Driver' is the autonomous system, not the vehicle.
Runs on (1)
- Waymo Driverfoundation-model · commercial
Supply chain (1)
Compute / semiconductor
- NVIDIANVIDIA DRIVE platform -- AI compute for 6th-gen Waymo Driver perception and planningsupplies
Suppliers appear here when verified with at least two strong sources (maker-official / IR / regulatory / standards-body / verified tier-2). Sources are append-only; corrections add new sources rather than rewrite history.
Regulatory filings (4)
Safety record
35 recalls and 1056 incidents on record (3 catastrophic, 28 serious, 54 moderate, 1006 minor). Most recent: Jul 2026.
- collision
- 1026
- recall
- 35
- regulatory action
- 14
- traffic disruption
- 5
- malfunction
- 5
- other
- 2
- fatality
- 2
- property damage
- 1
- injury
- 1
Most recent: Jul 2026
Only active incidents are counted. Retracted incidents are excluded from this summary but remain reachable at their canonical URLs.
Incidents affecting Waymo Driver (6th gen) (1091)
- Santa Monica judge issues preliminary injunction banning overnight operations at two Waymo Broadway recharging stations2026-07-28 · Regulatory action
- Waymo racks up 83 parking citations totaling $9,325 in Austin since 2024 launch2026-07-28 · Regulatory action
- Waymo robotaxi struck by out-of-control SUV on Polaris Avenue, Las Vegas2026-07-19 · Collision
- Waymo robotaxi struck by SUV that lost control on Las Vegas Valley road2026-07-19 · Collision
- NHTSA issues directive to AV developers citing clear pattern of driverless AVs interfering with first responders2026-07-09 · Regulatory action
- NHTSA demands AV developers stop driverless vehicles from interfering with first responders2026-07-08 · Regulatory action
Showing the first 100 of 1091. The full list is available in the machine-readable (.md) view of this page.
Includes incidents linked directly to this model or to deployments of it. Retracted incidents are excluded from this view but remain reachable at their canonical URLs.
Sources (4)
- Waymo blog: Meet the 6th-generation Waymo Driver (primary announcement, sensor suite + cost targets) · https://waymo.com/blog/2024/08/meet-the-6th-generation-waymo-driver/ · 2024-08-19
- Waymo blog: Beginning fully autonomous operations with the 6th-gen Driver (primary, commercial launch) · https://waymo.com/blog/2026/02/ro-on-6th-gen-waymo-driver/ · 2026-02-12
- CNBC: Waymo begins deploying next-gen Ojai robotaxis (third-party trade coverage of the launch) · https://www.cnbc.com/2026/02/12/waymo-begins-deploying-next-gen-ojai-robotaxis-to-extend-its-us-lead.html · 2026-02-12
- WardsAuto: Inside the 6th-generation Waymo Driver (third-party deep-dive on the hardware suite) · https://www.wardsauto.com/news/archive-auto-waymo-6th-generation-driver-autonomous-driving-hardware-robotaxi-lidar-ai/725519/ · 2024-08-29
Compare Waymo Driver (6th gen)
- Waymo Driver (6th gen) vs Apollo RT6
- Waymo Driver (6th gen) vs Didi Robotaxi
- Waymo Driver (6th gen) vs Nuro R2
- Waymo Driver (6th gen) vs Pony Gen-7 Robotaxi
- Waymo Driver (6th gen) vs Cybercab
- Waymo Driver (6th gen) vs Robotaxi GXR
- Waymo Driver (6th gen) vs XPENG Robotaxi
- Waymo Driver (6th gen) vs Zoox Robotaxi
Common questions
What is Waymo Driver (6th gen)?
How much does Waymo Driver (6th gen) cost?
Is Waymo Driver (6th gen) actually deployed in the real world?
Is Waymo Driver (6th gen) autonomous or teleoperated?
Who makes Waymo Driver (6th gen)?
Where is Waymo Driver (6th gen) deployed?
Can you buy Waymo Driver (6th gen)?
Is Waymo Driver (6th gen) approved by regulators?
What AI powers Waymo Driver (6th gen)?
What are alternatives to Waymo Driver (6th gen)?
How does Waymo Driver (6th gen) compare to Zoox Robotaxi?
Is Waymo Driver (6th gen) a top av?
What is Waymo Driver (6th gen)'s maturity stage?
Is Waymo Driver (6th gen) safe?
What is the Waymo Driver?
Methodology: Verified · 4 sources (no primary) · last reviewed 2026-07-22
Verification posture
Verified
Medium confidence
Review state
Stable
Last reviewed 2026-07-22
Maturity + lifecycle
Maturity stage: commercial
Lifecycle: active
Architectural position
Cohort: av
Sources by quality tier
- 3
- unclassified
- Unclassified source
- 1
- secondary-established-publication
- Established publication
The framework is documented at /methodology. Corrections at /corrections. Reviewer: DEPLOY editorial team.
Methodology surface for Waymo Driver (6th gen).Recent coverage
Waymo Driver (6th gen) in third-party press
Attention vs reality over time
Media mentions per month (area) against verified deployment events (dots). A press spike over a flat deployment line is the hype gap, drawn over time.
In the press
Recent coverage mentioning Waymo Driver (6th gen) from third-party publications. Automatically surfaced; not part of the verified registry record.
Waymo receives green light for expansion across California
Waymo received approval to expand its robotaxi service across California, including the Bay Area and Los Angeles, scaling toward 1 million weekly rides.
Waymo opens up robotaxi service in Dallas to everyone
Waymo has dropped the waitlist for its robotaxi service in Dallas, the latest step in the company's bid to scale its self-driving technology across the United States, U.K., and…
Police intercept tipsy teens after Waymo snitches for shooting Orbeez out of the car
Armed response and canine support called in for troublemaking duo ratted out by driverless car’s array of cameras
Waymo goes driverless in Las Vegas, with Denver, San Diego, Tampa next
Waymo has activated fully driverless operations in Las Vegas, its riders will now see vehicles with no human at the wheel, and the Alphabet unit says Denver, San Diego, and Tampa…
Free Waymo Rides in California? You Can Thank a Regulatory Quirk
A key delay from a state agency means robotaxi rides in the company’s new Ojai vehicle might be free for a few more months.
Waymo preparing fully autonomous operations in Denver, Las Vegas, San Diego, and Tampa
Waymo announced it will soon begin fully autonomous (rider-only) operations in four new cities — Denver, Las Vegas, San Diego, and Tampa — and has begun autonomously driving its…
Waymo to start driverless rides in 4 more U.S. markets as expansion accelerates
Waymo announced it will begin fully autonomous robotaxi operations in San Diego, Las Vegas, Tampa, and Denver, bringing its total to over 10 cities as it targets 1 million rides…
Waymo fleet clogs Presidio after July 4 fireworks, leaving some vehicles stranded and towed
Dozens of Waymo robotaxis became stranded in San Francisco's Presidio after July 4 fireworks, with some stalling, others towed, and one driving over a lit firework while carrying…
Waymo cars stranded on San Francisco streets as Fourth of July gridlock drains batteries
Multiple Waymo robotaxis were stranded and towed after their batteries died while stuck in heavy Fourth of July traffic in San Francisco, prompting the company to evaluate…
New California laws July 1 2026: AV regulations, police can ticket robotaxis
California SB 1246 and AB 1777 take effect July 1. Police can now ticket AV companies for moving violations. Remote assistant requirements. First responder interaction protocols.
Uber and Waymo Have Ended Their Robotaxi Tie-Up in Phoenix; Uber to Announce New Partner
Uber Technologies Inc. said it has wound down its robotaxi offering with Alphabet Inc.’s Waymo in Phoenix, the latest relationship twist between two companies that simultaneously…
Waymo and Uber quietly part ways in Phoenix
Uber said it is readying the launch of a separate autonomous vehicle partnership in the city, but did not name the partner.
Machine-readable surfaces
- Markdown mirror: /models/waymo-driver-gen6.md
- JSON-LD: embedded in this page’s head
- REST API: /v1/models/c9a56a6c-55d4-40e3-b080-70a6f04e6956
- Revision history: /models/waymo-driver-gen6/history
- Data documentation: /data
- Query this programmatically: Deploy MCP
Buyer-facing pricing: deploy.report/price/waymo-driver-gen6
Video
People gather around Waymos after power outage For more context and news coverage of the most important stories of our day, click here: https://www.nbcnews.com
Reality vs attention
Waymo Driver (6th gen) draws attention at the 88th percentile but verifies reality at the 99th percentile among AVs. Hype Gap -11.4, 24th widest among AVs.
6-month trend
Analysis
Strong deployment footprint with 29 verified sites. Above-average adoption relative to same-category peers. Strong recent media coverage and press activity. Recent incident on record; monitoring recommended.
Signal flags
Dimension breakdown
Verified signal
Attention (reach, not merit)
DEPLOY Intelligence scores are computed from verified registry data: confirmed deployments, disclosed funding rounds, regulatory filings, active job listings, video viewership, and press coverage. Confidence ratings reflect data availability. Scores update nightly.
DEPLOY Indices — verified vs claimed
Last computed: Aug 24, 2026