{"id":"c9a56a6c-55d4-40e3-b080-70a6f04e6956","companyId":"2128addc-20c8-4c31-aef5-be5ada97aede","modelName":"Waymo Driver (6th gen)","slug":"waymo-driver-gen6","description":"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.","formFactor":"av","industryVertical":"passenger_transport","environment":"road","maturityStage":"commercial","lifecycleState":"active","supersededByModelId":null,"specs":{"drive_mode":"fully_autonomous","generation":6,"lidar_count":4,"radar_count":6,"camera_count":13,"vehicle_platforms":"Zeekr RT (Ojai); Hyundai IONIQ 5","external_audio_receivers":true,"detection_range_m_nominal_approx":500,"target_unit_cost_usd_under_waymo_stated":20000},"manufacturerSerial":null,"reviewStatus":"reviewed","sources":[{"url":"https://waymo.com/blog/2024/08/meet-the-6th-generation-waymo-driver/","label":"Waymo blog — Meet the 6th-generation Waymo Driver (primary announcement, sensor suite + cost targets)","publishedAt":"2024-08-19"},{"url":"https://waymo.com/blog/2026/02/ro-on-6th-gen-waymo-driver/","label":"Waymo blog — Beginning fully autonomous operations with the 6th-gen Driver (primary, commercial launch)","publishedAt":"2026-02-12"},{"url":"https://www.cnbc.com/2026/02/12/waymo-begins-deploying-next-gen-ojai-robotaxis-to-extend-its-us-lead.html","label":"CNBC — Waymo begins deploying next-gen Ojai robotaxis (third-party trade coverage of the launch)","publishedAt":"2026-02-12"},{"url":"https://www.wardsauto.com/news/archive-auto-waymo-6th-generation-driver-autonomous-driving-hardware-robotaxi-lidar-ai/725519/","label":"WardsAuto — Inside the 6th-generation Waymo Driver (third-party deep-dive on the hardware suite)","publishedAt":"2024-08-29"}],"aliases":[],"collisionRisk":"low","reviewNote":null,"manufacturerTermForTeleop":null,"keyFacts":[{"label":"Autonomy level","value":"fully autonomous (SAE Level 4)"},{"label":"Sensor suite","value":"13 cameras, 4 LiDARs, 6 radars, external audio receivers (EARs)"},{"label":"Detection range","value":"up to ~500 meters in nominal conditions"},{"label":"Sensor cost (6th-gen)","value":"Targeted under $20,000 per unit on top of vehicle cost; >50% reduction from 5th-gen"},{"label":"Sensor reduction","value":"42% fewer sensors vs 5th-gen (29 cameras→13, 5 LiDARs→4, radar unchanged at 6)"},{"label":"Camera specs","value":"17-megapixel imager — generation ahead of other automotive cameras in resolution, dynamic range, low-light sensitivity"},{"label":"LiDAR","value":"Waymo custom in-house: 360-degree top lidar + perimeter lidars; cost reduced >90% from $75K off-the-shelf to ~$7,500 (2017), now likely <$1,000/unit"},{"label":"Radar","value":"Waymo custom imaging radar — 360-degree view, enhanced resolution, tracks moving/stopped objects"},{"label":"Compute platform","value":"NVIDIA DRIVE Thor (2,000 TOPS FP8, Blackwell architecture) + Waymo custom Google TPU-based compute; dual redundant computing engines"},{"label":"5th-gen sensor cost (Bloomberg)","value":"~$9,300 per vehicle for 24 sensors (cameras, radar, lidar) on Jaguar I-PACE"},{"label":"Per-mile operating cost","value":"Estimated ~$1.40–$2.31/mi operating cost; passenger price ~$42/mi (vs Uber/Lyft ~$30/mi)"},{"label":"Cash contribution margin","value":"63% cash contribution margins (JPMorgan estimate, Aug 2024); 35% fleet utilization"},{"label":"Price","value":"6th-gen Driver targeted under $20,000 per unit"},{"label":"Vehicle platforms","value":"Zeekr RT (Ojai); Jaguar I-PACE (5th-gen); Hyundai IONIQ 5 (announced)"},{"label":"Fleet size","value":"~3,000 vehicles total (Nov 2025); 500,000+ paid rides/week; 14M+ trips in 2025"},{"label":"Key suppliers","value":"NVIDIA (DRIVE Thor), Waymo in-house (LiDAR, cameras, radar, software), Google (TPU, Gemini), Jaguar Land Rover (I-PACE platform), Geely/Zeekr (MIX platform)"},"5th gen sensor cost=$9,300 per car (24 sensors: cameras, radar, LiDAR — excludes compute)","6th gen Driver cost=Under $20,000 per unit (50%+ reduction from 5th gen)","Vehicle platform=Jaguar I-PACE (luxury EV, ~$70K base MSRP); Zeekr platform next","Compute=NVIDIA DRIVE Thor (or custom Waymo compute)","LiDAR=Waymo custom in-house LiDAR (not external supplier)","Fleet=Thousands of vehicles; expanding to Zeekr platform","Per-mile operating cost=Targeting profitability at scale; 6th gen key to reducing per-mile cost","6th gen launch=Feb 2026, fully driverless operations began, targeting 1M weekly rides"],"createdAt":"2026-05-25T04:41:57.633Z","updatedAt":"2026-07-22T17:18:48.073Z","unitsInFieldClaimed":3500,"unitsInFieldVerified":1500,"unitsManufacturedClaimed":3500,"unitsManufacturedVerified":null,"unitsAsOf":"2026-07-08T00:00:00.000Z","unitsSource":[{"url":"https://waymo.com/blog/2025/05/scaling-our-fleet-through-us-manufacturing","label":"1,500 vehicles across San Francisco, Los Angeles, Phoenix, and Austin"},{"url":"https://www.theverge.com/news/661025/waymo-fleet-size-factory-arizona-jaguar-robotaxi-zeekr","label":"Waymo says it will add 2,000 more robotaxis into 2026"},{"url":"https://www.reddit.com/r/waymo/comments/1r2xc8p/","label":"Waymo has said it plans on adding only 2,000 more vehicles in 2026, for a total fleet size of 3,500"},{"url":"https://www.instagram.com/p/DZBbunKAnFX/","label":"Waymo runs 577 robotaxis in Texas"}],"salesModel":"not_sold","priceUndisclosedSince":null,"autonomyClass":"autonomous","autonomyStatement":null,"autonomyStatementSource":null,"demoForensics":null,"exportControlClass":null,"minCommitment":null,"warrantyTerms":null,"serviceModel":null,"productionRateClaimed":null,"productionRateEvidenced":null,"teleopRatioDisclosed":null,"interventionRateDisclosed":null,"jsonLd":{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"Product","@id":"https://registry.deploy.report/models/waymo-driver-gen6","url":"https://registry.deploy.report/models/waymo-driver-gen6","name":"Waymo Driver (6th gen)","description":"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.","identifier":"c9a56a6c-55d4-40e3-b080-70a6f04e6956","category":"av","publisher":{"@id":"https://deploy.report/#organization"}},"framework_metadata":{"framework_schema_version":"0.1.0","verification_status":"verified","maturity_stage":"commercial","lifecycle_state":"active","architectural_position":{"cohort":"av","sub_cohorts":[]},"within_cohort_verified_vs_claimed_pair":null,"cap_flags":[],"verification_depth":{"sources_count":4,"primary_source_types":["secondary-established-publication"]}}}