Waymo has revealed its new sixth-generation robotaxi with a sensor suite “optimised for greater performance at a significantly reduced cost, without compromising safety”.

Waymo, which is owned by Google parent company Alphabet, currently operates commercial robotaxi services in Phoenix, Arizona, and San Francisco, California, with new services planned in Los Angeles, California, and Austin, Texas.

It has about 700 vehicles in its fleet, the hardware and software for which it develops from the ground up, and is the only US firm operating driverless robotaxis that collect fares.

Earlier this year, the company stated that to date Waymo vehicles have driven around 10 million fully autonomous miles and served over 1 million ride-hail trips.

However, it is not without its challenges, as it issued a recall notice for its cars after two of them hit the same pick-up truck in an accident in December 2023.

The company has now announced it is introducing its sixth-generation robotaxi, which is an electric...