Zeekr RT (Ojai)
[production]av · robotaxis · 2 deployments in catalog
Manufacturer
ZeekrForm Factor
av
Lifecycle
production
Operational Reality
Audited
Deployments
2
Target Price
Custom Quote
- AV
- PRODUCTION
Description
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.
Key facts & specs
- website
- https://techcrunch.com/2026/01/07/waymo-is-rebranding-its-zeekr-robotaxi/
- lifecycle
- active
- manufacturer
- Zeekr
- deployments count
- 2
- Maturity stage
- production
- 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
- U S 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
- Li D A R 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- P A C E
- ~50–66% cost reduction vs 5th-gen Jaguar I-PACE (~$150K → ~$50–75K)
Safety record
1 recall and 1 incident on record (2 moderate). Most recent: Jan 2026.
FAQ
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.
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 91% 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.