Credit: Nishat Samadzai on Unsplash Waymo plans to grow its fleet from about 4,000 robotaxis today to 8,000 by the end of 2026 and 20,000 by the end of 2027, Semafor reported. The push follows a $5B loan this month. Much of the new fleet will be Ojai vans built on Chinese Zeekr cars. Waymo also announced plans for Madrid.
Waymo plans to grow its robotaxi fleet fivefold, from about 4,000 cars today to 20,000 by the end of 2027, Semafor reported, citing people familiar with the matter. The Alphabet-owned company aims to reach 8,000 cars by the end of this year, doubling its fleet in less than three months. Waymo declined to comment to Semafor. The plan follows a $5B loan earlier this month, Waymo’s first debt deal.
Lenders include PIMCO, Blackstone and Sixth Street, and it came on top of a $16B funding round earlier this year. Much of the growth will rely on the Ojai, Waymo’s new robotaxi. It is built on an electric car from Zeekr, a brand of China’s Geely, and Waymo fits its own self-driving system at a factory in Mesa, Arizona. Waymo is on pace to import about 5,100 Ojai vehicles by the end of this year, the New York Post reported, citing research firm MoffettNathanson.
The Ojai replaces the Jaguar I-Pace, which Jaguar stopped making in 2024. Chinese cars face a 100% US tariff, and federal rules restrict Chinese connected-car software. Waymo imports the cars without that software and adds its own technology in Arizona. Waymo already runs paid rides in 15 US cities, including Los Angeles, Miami and the San Francisco Bay Area.
On Tuesday, it said it will start testing in the Madrid region, aiming to carry its first riders there in 2027. WeRide and Uber are already ahead there, with Spain’s first permit for driverless cars. The planned fleet would put Waymo far ahead of rivals. In Texas, it runs hundreds of cars, while Tesla had just 42 robotaxis, according to state records.
But a bigger fleet brings bigger risks. In May, Waymo paused service in five cities after its cars kept driving into flooded roads. Get the TNW newsletter ✕ Close Get the TNW newsletter Get the most important tech news in your inbox each week.
Leave a Reply