Waymo owned by Alphabet opened its sixth generation Drive system on Monday with a more efficient sensor setup. Despite the reduced camera and LiDAR sensor count existing platformthe new structure of the self-driving attraction is claimed to maintain safety levels. It will be available alongside the current generation lineup once it is ready for public rides.
CNBC reports said that the new system is built into Geely Zeekr electric cars. First, Waymo said he would work with the Chinese EV manufacturer At the end of 2021. The rides on the new platform are boxier than the current generation lineup. Jaguar I-PACE SUVs. The Zeekr-built sixth-generation fleet is said to be better in terms of accessibility, including a lower step, higher ceiling and more legroom – with about the same overall footprint as the Jaguar-based range.
The sixth generation Waymo Driver reduced the number of cameras from 29 to 13, and LiDAR sensors from five to four. Alphabet says they work together with safety-focused features that allow for better performance in overlapping fields of view and different weather conditions. The company claims the new platform’s field of view extends to 500 meters (1,640 feet) day and night and in “a range” of weather conditions.
Waymo says the new system has a modular aspect, allowing it to “replace different sensor components to suit the specific conditions of each operating environment,” such as tougher sensor cleaning for vehicles in cold cities. CNBC clarified that the cleaning system includes wipers that can remove the most dirt and moisture.
The company says the sixth-generation Driver performs reliably even in extreme heat, fog, rain and hail thanks to “regular road trips to new cities.” This makes sense given that the currently approved cities are all in relatively clear and dry climates. (CNBC (says Waymo has tested it in Detroit, Buffalo, and New York.) Currently, Waymo only operates in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Phoenix, and Austin. Since launching in 2018, the company’s fleet has been serving 50,000 paid autonomous trips per week.
Waymo says the new generation already has thousands of miles of real-world driving experience (and “millions more” in simulations). By learning from the system’s “shared knowledge” from previous generations, the company expects it to be ready for consumers faster—about half the time—than previous models.
