内容来源：https://www.wired.com/story/here-comes-ojai-waymos-new-chinese-made-robotaxi/

内容总结：

Waymo推出首款原生无人驾驶车“奥海”，中企吉利旗下极氪代工底盘

本周，Alphabet旗下的自动驾驶技术公司Waymo宣布，将在洛杉矶、旧金山和凤凰城三座城市正式启用其全新定制的无人驾驶车辆“Ojai”（发音类似“奥海”）。这款浅蓝色箱型迷你货车周身布满传感器，虽然专为无人驾驶设计，但仍保留了方向盘。未来几周内，用户即可通过Waymo的应用程序免费叫车体验。

这是Waymo自2021年首次公布该车型、2024年投入公共道路测试以来迈出的关键一步。然而，当前节点对Waymo而言颇为微妙：就在上周，由于车辆在洪水路况下表现不佳，公司刚关闭了美国六个城市的服务；同时，因担心施工区域附近的运营安全，还暂停了高速公路驾驶项目。

为何“奥海”与众不同？

过去近十年，Waymo一直基于人类驾驶汽车进行改装测试，从克莱斯勒大捷龙混动车到2018年启用的捷豹I-Pace纯电车。“奥海”则是其首款为“自动驾驶而生”的原生车型。它搭载了Waymo最新一代软硬件系统，融合了摄像头、激光雷达和雷达三种传感器，并号称“利用了AI领域的突破性进展”。

Waymo工程副总裁表示，新系统“专为跨平台长期扩张设计”，能适应包括严冬在内的复杂环境，而恶劣天气历来是自动驾驶的技术难题。这款车内部空间更大、腿部空间更充裕，配备充电口和杯架，地板平整、门槛低并设有扶手，方便残障人士使用。此外，模块化设计也使得维修更便捷。

中国制造背景引关注

“奥海”的多层外壳及基础底盘来自中国新能源汽车巨头吉利的旗下高端品牌极氪（Zeekr）。这些未经组装的“裸车”在中国制造后，运往Waymo位于亚利桑那州的工厂，在美国本土加装自动驾驶系统。Waymo表示，未来目标是年产数万辆具备无人驾驶能力的车辆。

尽管自2027年起，美国法规将禁止搭载中国或俄罗斯相关技术的车辆上路，但Waymo辩称，极氪仅提供不含任何远程通信或联网软件系统的“基础车辆”，相关智能系统均在美国加装，因此不受禁令限制。不过，这一合作已招致美国政界批评，有共和党参议员在国会听证会上指责Waymo“与中国同床共枕”。

免费乘车与监管博弈

目前“奥海”提供的免费乘车服务，一方面是为了收集用户反馈以优化体验，另一方面则因监管审批尚未完成。在加州，虽然Waymo已获准运营无人驾驶车辆，但尚未获得搭载付费乘客的许可。加州公共事业委员会（CPUC）要求Waymo就如何处理未成年人非法乘车、重大突发事件及自然灾害（如2025年底旧金山大停电导致无人车瘫痪）等问题作出回应。该委员会预计将在6月27日前对“奥海”及Waymo的扩张计划做出最终裁定。

未来，Waymo还计划将现代Ioniq 5纳入其无人驾驶出租车队，捷豹I-Pace车型也将继续服役一段时间。

中文翻译：

这座城市迎来了一款全新的自动驾驶汽车——至少在洛杉矶、旧金山和凤凰城是这样。从未来几周开始，Alphabet旗下的自动驾驶汽车开发商Waymo将用其新款Ojai车型（发音类似“哦嗨”）搭载公众出行。这是一种浅蓝色的厢式小型货车，外形方正，布满传感器，且配备方向盘——尽管它设计为无需驾驶员即可行驶。目前，通过Waymo应用叫车乘坐这些新车将完全免费。

这款车的研发之路颇为漫长。Waymo于2021年首次公布该车型，并于2024年开始在公共道路上测试。对Waymo来说，现在也是一个微妙的时刻：这家正在美国乃至全球快速扩张的自动驾驶汽车公司，上周因旗下车辆在应对洪水时出现问题，关闭了其在六个美国城市的服务。此外，由于对施工区附近运营状况的担忧，该公司也已暂停其高速公路驾驶项目。

《连线》杂志为您解读Ojai的新颖之处，以及驱动它的复杂系统。

为何推出这款车？

近十年来，Waymo一直在为人类驾驶员设计的车辆上测试和部署其自动驾驶技术。Waymo最初使用克莱斯勒Pacifica混合动力车提供服务，并于2018年转向全电动的捷豹I-Pace。而Ojai则是一款全新的车型：一款专为自动驾驶而打造的车辆。

Ojai的亮相也标志着Waymo最新硬件和软件系统的引入。Waymo表示，这次的更新“利用了人工智能领域的突破”，并且与之前的系统一样，融合了三种不同传感器的输入信息：摄像头、激光雷达和雷达。

Waymo似乎将这项升级技术视为其大规模扩张计划背后的“驱动者”（双关语）。该公司目前在美国11个市场运营，并计划在至少20个不同的新地区推出服务，包括伦敦和东京。该公司工程副总裁Satish Jeyachandran今年早些时候写道，该系统“旨在实现跨多种车辆平台的长期增长”。他表示，新设计应能使公司扩展到不同环境，包括冬季严寒的地区——这在历史上对机器人来说是一项技术挑战。

关于名称：Ojai的名字来源于文图拉县一个崇尚嬉皮文化但定位高端的村庄，该村以其艺术社区而闻名。

这款新车有何不同？

Ojai的外观与之前的Waymo车辆截然不同。与之前的捷豹车型相比，它的车厢更大，腿部空间更宽敞，并且配备了充电端口和杯架。Waymo表示，得益于平坦的地板、较低的登车高度以及扶手，这款车对残障人士更加友好（但车辆不支持轮椅直接上下）。Waymo还称，该车的车厢更容易清洁。该公司表示，这款车的特性应该能提高其运营效率：充电速度更快，且采用模块化设计，使维修更加方便。

Ojai显然不是一款普通的汽车，它布满了帮助其自动驾驶的传感器：13个摄像头、6个雷达系统和4个激光雷达传感器。

这款车是谁制造的？

这就说到了有趣的地方：Ojai是中国领先的新能源汽车制造商吉利集团旗下“移动出行平台”的改装版本。更具体地说，该车的车身由吉利子品牌极氪（Zeekr）打造。极氪自2023年起开始在国际市场销售汽车，目前业务已覆盖欧洲、亚洲、中东和拉丁美洲。值得注意的是，极氪的市场版图中明显缺失的是美国——而这些Ojai车辆正是在美国运营。

Waymo表示，这些基础车型在中国制造，然后运往Waymo位于亚利桑那州的工厂，在那里于美国本土加装美国制造的自动驾驶系统。Waymo发言人Sandy Karp称，公司正朝着每年生产数万辆可无人驾驶的车辆这一目标迈进。

等等——中国汽车不是不允许进入美国吗？

这（在一定程度上）仍然是事实。去年1月，拜登政府最终确定了规则，从2027年起禁止与中国和俄罗斯相关的车辆技术在美国道路上使用。当时，美国政府表示，这种与外国相关的汽车技术构成了国家安全威胁；而美国汽车制造商日益受到中国制造的价格低廉且品质优良的汽车的威胁，这也不无影响。中国制造的汽车也因高额关税而被有效阻挡在美国市场之外。

但该公司表示，这些禁令不适用于Waymo，因为极氪仅制造“基础车辆”，不包含任何远程信息处理或联网软件系统，这些系统是在美国加装的。

尽管如此，这家自动驾驶汽车开发商因其与吉利和极氪的合作关系，已受到一些政界人士的批评。在今年2月的一次美国国会听证会上，一位共和党参议员批评该公司“与中国同流合污”。

无论你对这种合作关系有何看法，Ojai的推出很可能会让许多美国乘客首次接触到中国制造的汽车。

你说乘车是免费的？

目前是的。Waymo发言人Sandy Karp写道，一段时间的免费乘车将帮助公司“收集乘客反馈，并继续优化体验”。

但免费乘车还有另一个原因，至少在加利福尼亚州是这样：虽然Waymo已获得在该州运营无人驾驶Ojai车辆的许可，但尚未获得在这些车辆上搭载付费乘客的许可。该授权仍在由州监管机构——加州公用事业委员会（CPUC）审议。在批准该车辆之前，CPUC要求Waymo回应关于其如何处理无人陪伴未成年人非法乘车的问题，以及应对重大干扰和自然灾害的方法，例如2025年底旧金山停电事件，那次停电导致Waymo车辆滞留在城市各处。CPUC发言人Terrie Prosper表示，CPUC将在6月27日前就Ojai以及Waymo提议扩展到东湾和南加州部分地区的计划做出决定。

“我们正在等待CPUC允许我们为这些乘车服务收费。”Karp写道。

自动驾驶汽车“汽车”部分下一步是什么？

Waymo也正着手将现代Ioniq 5车型加入其机器人出租车车队。这些车辆是现代与Waymo自2024年开始的合作关系的一部分。捷豹I-Pace也还会继续运营一段时间。

2026年5月28日更正： Ojai的乘车服务将于未来几周内开始，而非今天。我们对这一错误深表歉意。

英文来源：

There’s a new autonomous vehicle in town, or at least in the towns of Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Phoenix. Starting in the next few weeks, Alphabet self-driving vehicle developer Waymo will start picking up members of the public in its new Ojai vehicles (pronounced “oh hai”)—pale blue boxy minivans studded with sensors and complete with steering wheels, even though they’re designed to travel without drivers. For now, the rides in these new cars, which can be summoned through Waymo's app, will be free.
It’s been a long road for the vehicle, first announced by Waymo in 2021 and tested on public streets since 2024. It’s also a weird time for Waymo: The self-driving-vehicle company, which is trying to expand quickly across the US and the world, shut down service in six US cities last week due to issues with how its vehicles react to flooding. It has also suspended its highway driving program due to concerns about operations near construction zones.
WIRED breaks down what’s new and interesting about Ojai, and the complex system that powers it.
Why?
For nearly a decade now, Waymo has tested and deployed its autonomous driving technology in cars designed for human drivers. Waymo began its services with the Chrysler Pacifica hybrid and moved to the all-electric Jaguar I-Pace in 2018. The Ojai, though, is something new: a vehicle built specifically for autonomy.
Ojai’s debut also marks the introduction of Waymo’s newest hardware and software system. The update, Waymo has said, "leverages breakthroughs in AI” and, like previous systems, combines inputs of three different kinds of sensors: cameras, lidar, and radar.
Waymo seems to envision the updated tech as the driver (pun intended) behind its big expansion push. The company currently operates in 11 US markets and plans to launch its service in at least 20 different new regions, including London and Tokyo. The system is “designed for long-term growth across multiple vehicle platforms,” Satish Jeyachandran, the company’s vice president of engineering, wrote earlier this year. He said the new design should allow the company to expand into different environments, including ones with brutal winters—historically a technical challenge for robots.
About the name: Ojai is named after the hippy but upscale Ventura County village known for its arts community.
What’s Different About This One?
Ojai definitely looks different from the Waymos that came before. The cabin is larger and has more legroom than its Jaguar predecessor, and there are charging ports and cup holders. Waymo says the vehicle is more accessible to people with disabilities thanks to flat floors, low step-in height, and grab bars. (The vehicles are not wheelchair-accessible.) Waymo says the vehicle cabin is easier to clean, too. The company says the vehicle’s features should speed up its operational efficiency: It’s quicker to charge and has a modular design that makes repairs easier.
The Ojai is clearly not a normal car, and it is studded with sensors that help it drive on its own: 13 cameras, six radar systems, and four lidar sensors.
Who Made This Car?
Here’s where it gets interesting: The Ojai is a modified version of a “mobility platform” made by leading Chinese new-energy vehicle manufacturer Geely. More specifically, the car’s shell is built by Geely sub-brand Zeekr, which has sold cars internationally since 2023 and is now in markets across Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America. Notably absent among Zeekr’s markets: the US, where these Ojai vehicles will operate.
Waymo says the bare-bones vehicles are manufactured in China and then shipped to Waymo’s Arizona facility, where the US-built autonomous systems are added on US soil. Waymo spokesperson Sandy Karp says the company is building toward pumping out tens of thousands of driverless-ready vehicles annually.
Wait—I Thought Chinese Cars Weren’t Allowed in the US?
This is still (kind of) true. Last January, the Biden administration finalized rules barring Chinese- and Russian-connected vehicle tech from US roads starting in 2027. At the time, the US government said that this foreign-connected-car tech represented a national security threat; it didn’t hurt that American carmakers were increasingly threatened by cheap and well-made vehicles manufactured in China. Chinese-made cars are also effectively blocked from the American market by high tariffs.
But the prohibitions don’t apply to Waymo, the company says, because Zeekr only manufactures the “base vehicle” and doesn’t include any telematics or connected software systems, which are added in the US.
Still, the autonomous vehicle developer has received flak from politicians for its involvement with Geely and Zeekr. In a February US congressional hearing, one Republican senator criticized the company for “getting in bed with China.”
Whatever your feelings about the partnership, Ojai’s launch will likely give many US riders their first interactions with Chinese-made cars.
You Say Rides Are Free?
For now, yes. Waymo spokesperson Sandy Karp writes that a period of gratis rides will help the company “gather rider feedback and continue refining the experience.”
But there’s another reason for the free rides, at least in California: Though Waymo has a permit to operate the driverless Ojai vehicles in the state, it doesn’t yet have permission to carry paying passengers inside them. That authorization is still being considered by a state regulator, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), which before approving the vehicle asked Waymo to respond to questions about how the company handles unaccompanied minors illegally riding in its cars, plus its approach to major disruptions and natural disasters, like the late 2025 San Francisco power outage that stranded Waymos across the city. The CPUC will make a decision about the Ojai, and about a proposed Waymo expansion into the East Bay and parts of Southern California, by June 27, says CPUC spokesperson Terrie Prosper.
“We are awaiting the CPUC's permission to charge fares for those rides,” Karp writes.
What’s Next in the ‘Car’ Part of Autonomous Cars?
Waymo is also preparing to add Hyundai Ioniq 5 models to its robotaxi fleet. The vehicles are part of a partnership between Hyundai and Waymo that dates back to 2024. The Jaguar I-Pace will stick around for a while, too.
Correction May 28, 2026: Ojai rides will start in the next few weeks, not today. We regret the error.