Waymo is rapidly expanding its autonomous robotaxi service across the United States, now operating in 15 cities compared to just three in September 2024. The company, which originated from Google and remains majority-owned by Alphabet, has seen its weekly paid rides surge to around 500,000. Despite this broad geographic rollout, the bulk of Waymo's roughly 4,000 autonomous vehicles are concentrated in just two states: California and Texas.

Texas, in particular, has become a critical growth area for Waymo’s fleet. In the last three weeks, the number of Waymo vehicles registered in Texas jumped by nearly 49%, reaching 1,102 as of late September 2026. This surge is largely driven by the introduction of a new minivan model called the Ojai, a vehicle built by Chinese automaker Zeekr but outfitted with Waymo's self-driving system in Arizona. The Ojai is designed to withstand heavy usage and includes advanced rider features powered by Google's Gemini AI.

Waymo's choice to focus heavily on California aligns with its Silicon Valley roots and early technology development, while the aggressive expansion in Texas highlights the company’s strategy to scale quickly in markets with growing demand. The Ojai minivans now constitute about a third of Waymo’s Texas fleet, and the company plans to increase this proportion as it continues importing these vehicles, despite facing higher costs due to U.S. import tariffs on Chinese-made cars.

Looking forward, the Ojai rollout will extend beyond Texas to states like Florida and Nevada, where Waymo is also establishing a presence. Research firm MoffettNathanson projects that Waymo could import about 5,100 Ojai vehicles by the end of the year, underscoring the company’s commitment to scaling its commercial robotaxi services and pushing towards profitability in a competitive autonomous vehicle market.