Self-driving cars are slowly becoming less sci-fi and more real-world as companies like Waymo, the autonomous arm of Google's parent, Alphabet, expand into more areas. On Thursday, Waymo said it's beginning fully autonomous operations with its latest, sixth-generation self-driving technology, which is built to handle extreme winter weather while scaling back costs.
The sixth-generation Waymo Driver builds on the company's current autonomous technology by further tapping into AI advancements, Waymo said in a blog post. For instance, the updated vision system can find details in deep shadows or while being hit with high beams, and requires fewer cameras, thanks to higher-resolution image sensors. Waymo's lidar sensors have gotten better at painting a 3D picture of the car's surroundings in various weather conditions, and the company's latest radar sensors use new algorithms to better track the distance, velocity and size of objects in rain or snow.
These capabilities can come in handy as Waymo expands to more cities with a variety of climates, such as Minneapolis, Detroit and London. The sixth-generation Waymo Driver will first be deployed on the Ojai, a modified Zeekr vehicle, before making its way to the Hyundai Ioniq 5. Fully autonomous trips using the sixth-generation driver will kick off with employees in the San Francisco Bay Area and Los Angeles before eventually opening up to the public.
Waymo currently offers fully autonomous rides to the general public in the all-electric Jaguar I-Pace in Phoenix, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Atlanta, and Austin, Texas. The vehicles can be summoned either via the Waymo app or Uber, depending on the city. In November, Waymo began driving passengers on freeways in San Francisco, Phoenix and LA. And in January, it opened up to its first public riders in Miami as it gradually expands access.
The self-driving company has added several new cities to its roster in recent months. In an Aug. 29 blog post, Waymo noted it's "entering a new chapter and accelerating our commercial expansion." You can find a full list of where Waymo currently operates and plans to expand below.
Waymo's newest vehicle, dubbed Ojai, is a modified Zeekr equipped with the company's latest sixth-generation self-driving technology. Abrar Al-Heeti/CNET
Waymo expands and grows
Waymo's growth extends to its manufacturing facilities. In May, the company said it's opening a new, 239,000-square-foot autonomous vehicle factory in the Phoenix area. The plan is to add 2,000 more fully autonomous Jaguar I-Pace vehicles to its existing 1,500-vehicle fleet. Notably, Waymo indicated it received its "final delivery from Jaguar" earlier this year, as it plans for future iterations of its driverless rides.
Waymo added that the "facility's flexible design" will allow it to integrate its upcoming sixth-generation self-driving technology into new vehicles, starting with the all-electric Zeekr RT, which Waymo has dubbed Ojai. In February 2026, Waymo said it was beginning fully autonomous operations with the sixth-generation driver aboard the Ojai, starting with employees before eventually expanding to more passengers.
In October 2024, Waymo also announced it's partnering with Hyundai to bring the next generation of its technology into Ioniq 5 SUVs. In the years to come, riders will be able to summon those all-electric, autonomous vehicles using the Waymo app. Testing with these vehicles began in 2025 and they'll become available "in the years to follow."
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