{"id":"86f24c4b-c506-470a-9934-de5ddec2f9b0","slug":"waymo-sunnyvale-costco-collision-2026-08-23","kind":"collision","headline":"Waymo robotaxi collided with minivan exiting Costco parking lot in Sunnyvale, CA","summary":"On August 23, 2026, a driverless Waymo robotaxi collided with a minivan that was exiting a Costco parking lot in Sunnyvale, California. Dashcam footage showed the minivan pulling out from a parking entrance with its view blocked by an SUV, entering the roadway in front of the Waymo. The Waymo continued a short distance before pulling over. The incident sparked debate about lidar and radar sensor redundancy after Waymo published a blog post emphasizing the importance of multimodal sensing. No injuries were reported.","occurredAt":"2026-08-23T00:00:00.000Z","reviewStatus":"unreviewed","modelId":"dd3c1709-bf5e-4c08-8913-0c857c7b8aeb","deploymentId":null,"companyId":"2128addc-20c8-4c31-aef5-be5ada97aede","dataCenterId":null,"aliases":[],"collisionRisk":"none","reviewNote":null,"severity":"minor","rootCauseCategory":"planning_perception_error","rootCauseDetail":"Minivan exited parking lot with blocked sightline due to an SUV; pulled into the roadway in front of the approaching Waymo robotaxi. The Waymo appeared to continue driving after impact before pulling over.","affectedUnitsCount":null,"affectedUnitsBasis":null,"remediationStatus":null,"regulatoryAction":"none","regulatoryBody":null,"propertyDamageEstimateUsd":null,"damageEstimateBasis":null,"bodilyInjurySeverity":"unknown","fatalityCount":0,"lossCostClass":null,"sourceQualityTier":null,"oshaRecordable":null,"oshaCaseNumber":null,"rootCauseDisclosed":null,"publicDisclosureDate":null,"insuranceClaimPublic":null,"formFactor":"av","latitude":{"s":1,"e":1,"d":[37,3760000]},"longitude":{"s":-1,"e":2,"d":[122,312000]},"autonomyClass":"driverless_ads","legalOutcomeClass":"unknown","createdAt":"2026-08-28T04:15:15.976Z","updatedAt":"2026-08-28T04:15:15.976Z","model":{"id":"dd3c1709-bf5e-4c08-8913-0c857c7b8aeb","companyId":"2128addc-20c8-4c31-aef5-be5ada97aede","modelName":"Ojai","slug":"waymo-ojai","description":"Purpose-built robotaxi featuring the 6th-generation Waymo Driver with 13 cameras, 6 radars, 4 LiDARs, and sensor heaters/wipers/sprayers for all-weather operation. Rider-first design with flat floor, three LED screens, embedded braille, screen-reader compatibility, and Gemini-powered voice interface. Manufactured at Waymo factory in Mesa, Arizona. Scaling to tens of thousands of units per year.","formFactor":"av","industryVertical":"passenger_transport","environment":"road","maturityStage":"commercial","lifecycleState":"active","supersededByModelId":null,"specs":{"oem":"Zeekr (Geely)","range":"Up to 16 h","battery":"93 kWh","named_at":"CES January 7, 2026","battery_kwh":93,"base_assembly":"Ningbo, Zhejiang, China","sensor_lidars":4,"sensor_radars":6,"final_assembly":"Mesa, Arizona, USA","sensor_cameras":13,"battery_voltage":"800V","production_start":"December 2024","autonomy_platform":"6th-generation Waymo Driver","detection_range_m":500,"passenger_capacity":4,"commercial_service_start":"May 28, 2026"},"manufacturerSerial":null,"reviewStatus":"reviewed","sources":[{"url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waymo_Ojai","sourceName":"Waymo / Wikipedia"},{"url":"https://waymo.com/blog/2026/05/welcoming-riders-in-the-ojai/","label":"Welcoming Riders in the Ojai","title":"Welcoming Riders in the Ojai","mediaType":"article","sourceName":"Waymo (official blog)","publishedAt":"2026-05-28"},{"url":"https://techcrunch.com/2026/01/07/waymo-is-rebranding-its-zeekr-robotaxi/","label":"Waymo is rebranding its Zeekr robotaxi as the Ojai","title":"Waymo is rebranding its Zeekr robotaxi as the Ojai","mediaType":"article","sourceName":"TechCrunch","publishedAt":"2026-01-07"},{"url":"https://waymo.com/blog/2024/08/meet-the-6th-generation-waymo-driver/","label":"Meet the 6th-generation Waymo Driver","title":"Meet the 6th-generation Waymo Driver","mediaType":"article","sourceName":"Waymo (official blog)","publishedAt":"2024-08-19"},{"url":"https://waymo.com/blog/2021/12/expanding-our-waymo-one-fleet-with/","label":"Expanding Our Waymo One Fleet with Zeekr","title":"Expanding Our Waymo One Fleet with Zeekr","mediaType":"article","sourceName":"Waymo (official blog)","publishedAt":"2021-12-01"}],"aliases":[],"collisionRisk":"low","reviewNote":null,"manufacturerTermForTeleop":null,"keyFacts":[{"label":"Form factor","value":"av"},{"label":"Maker","value":"Waymo"},{"label":"OEM","value":"Zeekr (Geely)"},{"label":"Class","value":"purpose-built robotaxi"},{"label":"Driver","value":"6th-generation Waymo Driver"},{"label":"Sensor suite","value":"13 cameras, 4 LiDARs, 6 radars"},{"label":"Sensor range","value":"up to ~500 m"},{"label":"Sensor reduction","value":"~42% versus 5th-gen stack"},{"label":"Base vehicle cost","value":"Zeekr MIX ~$39,250–$40,000 (China MSRP); decontented RT likely ~$32–33K"},{"label":"US tariff","value":"102.5%–127.5% tariff on Chinese EVs; post-tariff vehicle cost ~$78,000"},{"label":"Total build cost","value":"Estimated $50,000–$55,000 (integration in Mesa, AZ); ~$75K with sensors+compute+integration"},{"label":"Sensor cost","value":"~$9,300–$10,000 per vehicle (5th-gen ref); 6th-gen likely lower"},{"label":"LiDAR cost","value":"Waymo custom in-house, ~$1,000/unit or less (>90% reduction from $75K off-the-shelf)"},{"label":"Compute platform","value":"NVIDIA DRIVE Thor (2,000 TOPS); also Google TPU; dual redundant compute"},{"label":"Per-mile operating cost","value":"Estimated ~$1.40–$2.31/mi; passenger price ~$42/mi"},{"label":"Fleet size","value":"3,200+ imported to US; total Waymo fleet ~3,000 (Nov 2025), expanding"},{"label":"Cost reduction vs I-PACE","value":"~50–66% cost reduction (from ~$150K to ~$50–75K)"},{"label":"Integration","value":"Plug-and-play with drive-by-wire; Waymo factory Mesa, AZ — tens of thousands/year capacity"},{"label":"Key suppliers","value":"Geely/Zeekr (platform), NVIDIA (DRIVE Thor), Waymo in-house (sensors+software), Google (TPU, Gemini)"},{"label":"IIHS safety study (independent)","value":"Driverless crash rate 68% lower than human drivers in same areas. Rear-ending rate 91% lower. Being rear-ended 40% lower. Independently verified by IIHS."},{"label":"Police-reportable crashes","value":"22% of L4 crash involvements deemed police-reportable. Two-thirds in driverless operation. L4 vehicles unlikely to be striking vehicle."},{"label":"Sensors","value":"13 cameras, 6 radars, 4 LiDARs"},{"label":"Sensor maintenance","value":"Heaters, wipers, and sprayers for all-weather operation"},{"label":"Interior","value":"Flat floor, 3 LED screens, living room on wheels design"},{"label":"Accessibility","value":"Embedded braille, screen-reader compatibility, seat-integrated handle"},{"label":"AI interface","value":"Gemini-powered voice control (temperature, tunes, journey info, local questions)"},{"label":"Generation","value":"6th-generation Waymo Driver"},{"label":"Factory","value":"Mesa, Arizona — capacity tens of thousands/year"},{"label":"Cities (all riders)","value":"Los Angeles, Phoenix, San Francisco"},{"label":"Cities (expanding)","value":"Denver, Las Vegas, San Diego"}],"createdAt":"2026-06-24T10:25:18.369Z","updatedAt":"2026-08-19T19:35:37.099Z","unitsInFieldClaimed":null,"unitsInFieldVerified":null,"unitsManufacturedClaimed":null,"unitsManufacturedVerified":null,"unitsAsOf":null,"unitsSource":null,"salesModel":null,"priceUndisclosedSince":null,"autonomyClass":null,"autonomyStatement":null,"autonomyStatementSource":null,"demoForensics":null,"exportControlClass":null,"minCommitment":null,"warrantyTerms":null,"serviceModel":null,"productionRateClaimed":null,"productionRateEvidenced":null,"teleopRatioDisclosed":null,"interventionRateDisclosed":null},"deployment":null,"company":{"id":"2128addc-20c8-4c31-aef5-be5ada97aede","name":"Waymo","slug":"waymo","description":"Waymo is [Alphabet](/companies/alphabet)'s autonomous driving subsidiary. It operates the Waymo One robotaxi service in Phoenix, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Austin, and Miami, and runs Waymo Via for autonomous trucking. Spun out of Google's self-driving car project as a standalone Alphabet subsidiary in December 2016.","status":"subsidiary","founded":2009,"hq":"Mountain View, CA","hqLat":37.3893889,"hqLng":-122.0832101,"hqGeocodedAt":"2026-08-05T14:54:38.143Z","hqAddress":null,"hqPrecision":null,"website":"waymo.com","fundingTotal":"27100000000","type":"both","roles":["robot_maker","robot_operator"],"reviewStatus":"reviewed","heatIndex":100,"lifecycleState":"active","supersededByCompanyId":null,"sources":[{"url":"https://waymo.com","label":"Waymo — Company website"},{"url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waymo","label":"Wikipedia — Waymo (history, operations, ownership)"}],"keyFacts":[{"label":"Valuation","value":"$126B post-money (Feb 2026 Series D)"},{"label":"Funding raised","value":"~$27B lifetime ($16B Series D, Feb 2026, largest AV round ever)"},{"label":"Weekly rides","value":"~500,000 paid/week (targeting 1M by end-2026)"},{"label":"Ride volume","value":"15M in 2025; 20M+ lifetime"},{"label":"Autonomous miles","value":"127M+ fully autonomous"},{"label":"Safety claim (Waymo)","value":"90% fewer serious-injury crashes vs. humans (company-stated)"},{"label":"Operating markets","value":"~11 US metros (Waymo One)"},{"label":"Vehicle","value":"Jaguar I-PACE, 6th-gen Waymo Driver"},{"label":"Recent recalls","value":"School-bus passing; ~3,800-vehicle San Antonio flood recall"},{"label":"Active investigations","value":"NHTSA (Santa Monica child injury); NTSB (TX school-bus)"},{"label":"wikidata","value":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q15330"},{"label":"wikipedia","value":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waymo"},{"label":"Hero image candidate","value":"https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cf/Waymo_self-driving_car_front_view.gk.jpg (source: Wikimedia Commons, license: CC BY-SA 4.0, Quality image)"},{"label":"Miami depot 1","value":"Operational depot in Wynwood District, Miami (verified, field-inspected 2026)"},{"label":"Miami depot 2","value":"Future depot adjacent to Miami International Airport (under preparation, 2026)"},{"label":"Austin depot","value":"Operations facility on Stassney near Burleson Rd, south of Ben White, Austin TX"},{"label":"Mesa manufacturing hub","value":"Magna retrofits Jaguar I-PACE vehicles for Waymo fleet in Mesa, AZ"},{"label":"IIHS safety rating","value":"Independent IIHS study: Waymo L4 driverless crash rate 68% lower than human drivers (July 2026)"},{"label":"Fleet size (July 2026)","value":"3,800+ vehicles across 10 cities"},{"label":"Valuation (Feb 2026)","value":"$126B — raised $16B to fund expansion"},{"label":"Uber partnership status","value":"Exploring exit — notified Uber of independent entry Jan 2028. Parted ways in Phoenix May 2026."},{"label":"Austin/Atlanta dispute","value":"Waymo questioned cleanliness/routing of Uber-operated vehicles. Uber raised concerns about financial terms and weather-related unavailability."},{"label":"Munich expansion","value":"First European robotaxi market — mapping/testing starts 2026, commercial targeted end 2027 (working with KBA for Level 4 approval)"}],"aliases":["Waymo LLC","Waymo One","Google Self-Driving Car Project","Waymo Driver","Alphabet Waymo","Google Waymo","Google self-driving car"],"collisionRisk":"low","reviewNote":null,"atsProvider":"greenhouse","atsSlug":"waymo","factoryLocations":null,"manufacturingCapacity":null,"orgType":null,"burnSignal":null,"litigationEvents":null,"insurancePostureDisclosed":null,"unitEconomicsDisclosed":null,"tickerSymbol":null,"stockExchange":null,"secCik":null,"revenueUsd":null,"revenueBasis":null,"revenueAsOf":null,"employeeCount":2500,"employeeCountBasis":null,"employeeCountAsOf":null,"marketCapUsd":null,"marketCapAsOf":null,"marketCapSource":null,"createdAt":"2026-05-25T03:56:10.060Z","updatedAt":"2026-08-25T22:53:14.739Z"},"derived":{"status":"active"},"sources":[{"id":"bb4c2378-1e81-4746-a79a-81ba110d12e6","incidentId":"86f24c4b-c506-470a-9934-de5ddec2f9b0","url":"https://waymo.com/blog/2026/08/10ailessons/","label":null,"publishedAt":"2026-08-10T00:00:00.000Z","notes":null,"title":"10 AI Lessons from Driving 200+ Million Fully Autonomous Miles — multimodal sensors are indispensable","sourceName":"Waymo Blog","mediaType":"article","videoId":null,"channel":null,"durationSec":null,"timestampSec":null,"createdAt":"2026-08-28T04:15:17.720Z","updatedAt":"2026-08-28T04:15:17.720Z"},{"id":"0181d2d2-6b72-4255-8300-fc128caa7384","incidentId":"86f24c4b-c506-470a-9934-de5ddec2f9b0","url":"https://nypost.com/2026/08/25/us-news/california-waymo-crashes-into-car-in-hit-and-run-at-costco/","label":null,"publishedAt":"2026-08-25T00:00:00.000Z","notes":null,"title":"Moment Waymo collides with minivan at California Costco in new video","sourceName":"New York Post","mediaType":"article","videoId":null,"channel":null,"durationSec":null,"timestampSec":null,"createdAt":"2026-08-28T04:15:16.404Z","updatedAt":"2026-08-28T04:15:16.404Z"},{"id":"8f6c7ad2-396c-4f6d-8fbf-feab258ff1f8","incidentId":"86f24c4b-c506-470a-9934-de5ddec2f9b0","url":"https://www.facebook.com/abc7news/videos/dashcam-footage-captured-the-moment-a-driverless-waymo-collided-with-another-veh/1240339741566769/","label":null,"publishedAt":"2026-08-25T00:00:00.000Z","notes":null,"title":"Dashcam footage captured the moment a driverless Waymo collided with another vehicle","sourceName":"ABC7 News Bay Area","mediaType":"video","videoId":null,"channel":null,"durationSec":null,"timestampSec":null,"createdAt":"2026-08-28T04:15:16.846Z","updatedAt":"2026-08-28T04:15:16.846Z"}],"responses":[],"statusEvents":[{"id":"71406a13-aea7-4408-a353-303647847f35","incidentId":"86f24c4b-c506-470a-9934-de5ddec2f9b0","status":"active","reason":"Collision reported by ABC7 News and NY Post; dashcam footage widely circulated","source":"agent:agentdepth","effectiveAt":"2026-08-25T00:00:00.000Z","createdAt":"2026-08-28T04:15:18.173Z"}],"jsonLd":{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://registry.deploy.report/incidents/waymo-sunnyvale-costco-collision-2026-08-23","url":"https://registry.deploy.report/incidents/waymo-sunnyvale-costco-collision-2026-08-23","headline":"Waymo robotaxi collided with minivan exiting Costco parking lot in Sunnyvale, CA","description":"On August 23, 2026, a driverless Waymo robotaxi collided with a minivan that was exiting a Costco parking lot in Sunnyvale, California. Dashcam footage showed the minivan pulling out from a parking entrance with its view blocked by an SUV, entering the roadway in front of the Waymo. The Waymo continued a short distance before pulling over. The incident sparked debate about lidar and radar sensor redundancy after Waymo published a blog post emphasizing the importance of multimodal sensing. No injuries were reported.","identifier":"86f24c4b-c506-470a-9934-de5ddec2f9b0","datePublished":"2026-08-23T00:00:00.000Z","articleSection":"collision","publisher":{"@id":"https://deploy.report/#organization"},"author":{"@id":"https://deploy.report/#organization"}},"framework_metadata":{"framework_schema_version":"0.1.0","verification_status":"unreviewed","maturity_stage":null,"lifecycle_state":null,"architectural_position":{"cohort":null,"sub_cohorts":[]},"within_cohort_verified_vs_claimed_pair":null,"cap_flags":[],"verification_depth":{"sources_count":3,"primary_source_types":[]}}}