Waymo rebrands Zeekr RT robotaxi over low US name recognition

Waymo has renamed its Zeekr RT robotaxi to Ojai ahead of the vehicle’s entry into its commercial fleet. The rebrand is due to low US public recognition of the Zeekr name.

The Ojai, recently showcased at CES 2026, features a steering wheel and keeps the previous model’s hardware, including 13 cameras, four lidar, six radar, and external audio receivers.

Its color has been updated from blueish to silver.

The vehicle has been tested in Phoenix and San Francisco.

Waymo employees and their families can currently use the Ojai in these cities as part of pre-launch trials.

Waymo operates robotaxi services in multiple US cities and plans to expand to a dozen more locations, including Denver, Las Vegas, and London, within the next year.

🔗 Source: TechCrunch

🧠 Food for thought

Implications, context, and why it matters.

Ojai production in China and U.S. tariffs create a cost and deployment puzzle

Zeekr builds the Ojai in China, then ships it to the U.S. for Waymo to install sensors and software 1. The article leaves out how Waymo handles tariffs on Chinese EVs.
Current U.S. limits on Chinese car sales do not cover the Ojai 2. Tariff costs and compliance with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS), the U.S. safety rules that production vehicles must meet, remain murky for imported robotaxis. These numbers shape per‑unit economics and the plan to reach a dozen more locations 1.
Waymo has not shared production location options, import plans, or homologation (the regulatory approval process that certifies a vehicle meets safety and import rules) details. Investors and fleet operators cannot judge the timeline or the risk that tariff pressure pushes manufacturing changes that slow deployment 1.

Charging developers can target Waymo expansion cities with high-power depots

With Ojai vans headed to a dozen more cities within a year, including Denver and Las Vegas 1, charging firms can build high‑power depots tuned for autonomous fleets.
Developers need details on the Ojai charging interface and peak kilowatt (kW) capacity. With depot partnership plans, they can lock sites and grid interconnections in announced markets 1.
Consumer EV charging is unpredictable. Waymo routes and schedules stay regular, so depot owners can raise utilization and sign long‑term capacity deals that cut risk in new robotaxi markets.