DEPLOYDatabase

Robot model

Zeekr RT (Ojai)

avproductionby Zeekr

The Zeekr RT, later rebranded as Waymo Ojai, is a purpose-built electric robotaxi vehicle manufactured by Zeekr for Waymo's autonomous ride-hailing service.

Track Zeekr RT (Ojai)
Manufacturer
Zeekr
Form factor
av
Maturity
production
Lifecycle
active
Deployments
2

The verified answer

As of Sep 2026, DEPLOY verifies Zeekr RT (Ojai), a av by Zeekr (production): 2 verified deployments on record. 1 source back the record.

Overview

The Zeekr RT, later rebranded as Waymo Ojai, is a purpose-built electric robotaxi vehicle manufactured by Zeekr for Waymo's autonomous ride-hailing service. Built on Zeekr's SEA-M platform, it features 13 cameras, four lidar, six radar, and an external audio receiver array. Production began December 2024; passenger service began May 2026.

Verified vs. claimed

Maturity stage
production(Full-scale production deployment with repeat customers.)
Sources on file
View all sources →

Key facts

Form Factor

av

Maturity

production

Vehicle platform

Geely Zeekr MIX (minivan); purpose-built robotaxi variant = Zeekr RT / Ojai

Base vehicle cost (China)

~$39,250–$40,000 (Zeekr MIX MSRP in China); decontented RT likely ~$32–33K

US tariff impact

102.5%–127.5% US tariff on Chinese EVs; loaded vehicle cost post-tariff estimated ~$78,000

Total vehicle cost (all-in)

Estimated $50,000–$55,000 build cost (Waymo factory integration in Mesa, AZ); some estimates ~$75K with sensors+compute+integration

Sensor suite (6th-gen)

13 cameras, 4 LiDARs, 6 radars, external audio receivers (EARs); 42% fewer sensors than 5th-gen

Sensor suite cost

Estimated ~$9,300–$10,000 per vehicle (5th-gen BOM per Bloomberg); 6th-gen likely lower with fewer sensors

LiDAR cost

Waymo custom in-house LiDAR; ~$1,000/unit or less (down from $75K/off-the-shelf in early days, >90% cost reduction)

Camera cost

17-megapixel custom imagers; automotive cameras ~hundreds of dollars per unit

Radar cost

6 imaging radar units; automotive radars ~hundreds of dollars per unit

Compute platform

NVIDIA DRIVE Thor (Zeekr first OEM to mass-produce with Thor); 2,000 TOPS FP8; Waymo also uses custom Google TPU-based compute

Compute cost (est.)

Estimated ~$14,000 (benchmarked against 2x NVIDIA 5090 workstation); likely lower with Google TPU

Integration cost

Estimated ~$10,000; Zeekr RT is plug-and-play with drive-by-wire designed for robotaxi, reducing retrofit costs

Per-mile operating cost

Estimated ~$1.40–$2.31/mi (operating only, excl. depreciation); passenger price ~$42/mi vs Uber/Lyft ~$30/mi

Fleet size

3,200+ Zeekr RT units imported to US (2025); Waymo total fleet ~3,000 vehicles (Nov 2025), expanding to 5,000+ with Zeekr

Integration facility

Waymo factory in Mesa, Arizona — capacity tens of thousands/year

Key suppliers

Geely/Zeekr (vehicle platform), NVIDIA (DRIVE Thor compute), Waymo in-house (LiDAR, cameras, radar, software), Google (TPU compute, Gemini AI)

Cost vs Jaguar I-PACE

~50–66% cost reduction vs 5th-gen Jaguar I-PACE (~$150K → ~$50–75K)

Data & sources

News coverage

1

1 source backing this record.View all →

Pricing

No verified price is on record for Zeekr RT (Ojai). Physical-AI systems are often sold through enterprise contracts or operated as a service rather than at a public list price.

How DEPLOY tracks pricing

Deployments (2)

  • Zeekr RT (Ojai) at Phoenixoperational

    Operated by Waymo

    Waymo operates the Zeekr RT (rebranded as Ojai) robotaxi in Phoenix, one of its core commercial ride-hailing markets.

  • Zeekr RT (Ojai) at San Franciscooperational

    Operated by Waymo

    Waymo operates the Zeekr RT (rebranded as Ojai) robotaxi in commercial driverless ride-hailing service in San Francisco.

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Zeekr RT (Ojai) on the deployment map

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Where Zeekr RT (Ojai) is verified operating. Explore the deployment map by place and type.

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Recent activity

Every change to this record is dated, sourced, and independently verified where marked.

Full change history →

Safety record

1 recall and 1 incident on record (2 moderate). Most recent: Jan 2026.

moderate
2
collision
1
recall
1

Most recent: Jan 2026

Only active incidents are counted. Retracted incidents are excluded from this summary but remain reachable at their canonical URLs.

Incidents affecting Zeekr RT (Ojai) (2)

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 (1)

  1. Waymo is rebranding its Zeekr robotaxi · https://techcrunch.com/2026/01/07/waymo-is-rebranding-its-zeekr-robotaxi/

Common questions

What is Zeekr RT (Ojai)?
The Zeekr RT, later rebranded as Waymo Ojai, is a purpose-built electric robotaxi vehicle manufactured by Zeekr for Waymo's autonomous ride-hailing service. Built on Zeekr's SEA-M platform, it features 13 cameras, four lidar, six radar, and an external audio receiver array. Production began December 2024; passenger service began May 2026.
How much does Zeekr RT (Ojai) cost?
Zeekr RT (Ojai)'s price is not publicly disclosed. DEPLOY has no verified price on record for Zeekr RT (Ojai) from Zeekr. Physical-AI systems like this are often sold through enterprise contracts or operated as a service rather than at a public list price; check the manufacturer for the latest.
Is Zeekr RT (Ojai) actually deployed in the real world?
Yes. Zeekr RT (Ojai) is independently verified in real-world operation on the DEPLOY registry, confirmed at named deployment sites with primary sources: not a concept, render, or demo-only.
Who makes Zeekr RT (Ojai)?
Zeekr RT (Ojai) is made by Zeekr, based in Ningbo, China, founded in 2021.
Where is Zeekr RT (Ojai) deployed?
2 verified deployments of Zeekr RT (Ojai) are on the DEPLOY registry, including at Phoenix, San Francisco.
Can you buy Zeekr RT (Ojai)?
Zeekr RT (Ojai) is in commercial deployment and is sold to operators; contact the manufacturer to buy, and see the pricing section for any recorded price.
What are alternatives to Zeekr RT (Ojai)?
On the DEPLOY registry, comparable av robots to Zeekr RT (Ojai) include Waymo Driver (6th gen), Zoox Robotaxi, Tesla Robotaxi (Model Y ADS), May Mobility Autonomous Sienna.
How does Zeekr RT (Ojai) compare to Waymo Driver (6th gen)?
Zeekr RT (Ojai) and Waymo Driver (6th gen) (Waymo · 52 deployments) are both av robots on the DEPLOY registry. Zeekr RT (Ojai) has 2 verified deployments on record. Compare both records for specs, safety, deployments, and verified-vs-claimed autonomy.
Is Zeekr RT (Ojai) a top av?
On DEPLOY's intelligence score, which blends verified deployments, safety, adoption, media, and IP signals, Zeekr RT (Ojai) ranks in roughly the top 95% of av models tracked by the registry.
What is Zeekr RT (Ojai)'s maturity stage?
Zeekr RT (Ojai) is at the production stage on the DEPLOY maturity ladder (research, prototype, pilot, commercial, production). Production stage means high-volume manufacture and commercial-scale deployments are sustained.
Is Zeekr RT (Ojai) safe?
Zeekr RT (Ojai) has 2 active incidents on record in the DEPLOY registry. 1 recall and 1 incident on record (2 moderate). Most recent: Jan 2026. Retracted incidents are excluded from this count.
Methodology: Verified · 1 source (no primary) · last reviewed 2026-07-27

Verification posture

Verified

Low confidence

Review state

Stable

Last reviewed 2026-07-27

Maturity + lifecycle

Maturity stage: production

Lifecycle: active

Architectural position

Cohort: av

Sources by quality tier

1
secondary-industry-publication
Industry publication

The framework is documented at /methodology. Corrections at /corrections. Reviewer: DEPLOY editorial team.

Methodology surface for Zeekr RT (Ojai).

Recent coverage

Zeekr RT (Ojai) in third-party press

Uber Wants To Win The Autonomous Vehicle Race. So It's Betting On All Of The Horses [Update] - InsideEVs

Mar 23, 2026