PHOENIX (AZFamily) — The next Waymo ride you take in Phoenix could look a little different and feel a little roomier.
Waymo says it will begin offering rides in its new Ojai autonomous vehicles to select riders in Phoenix, San Francisco and Los Angeles in the coming weeks.
The first Ojai rides will be free for a limited time while Waymo collects feedback from riders.
For riders, the new vehicle comes with a larger cabin, more legroom, three large screens, charging ports and cup holders. Waymo says it also includes accessibility features such as a flat floor, lower step-in height, braille and grab bars.
The company says the vehicle also has changes meant to make it easier to operate and maintain, including easier-to-clean interiors, faster charging, increased battery capacity and a modular design for repairs.
The Ojai is the first vehicle to use Waymo’s sixth-generation Waymo Driver, the technology behind the company’s fully autonomous ride-hailing service. Waymo says the updated driverless technology could eventually help the company operate in snowier cities and expand its service to more communities.
The company says its Arizona factory is scaling up production, with the goal of eventually producing tens of thousands of vehicles each year. The factory will start with the Ojai before adding the Hyundai IONIQ 5.
Waymo says it has provided more than 20 million fully autonomous trips across more than 11 cities.
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