Drivers on Detroit roads are about to become acquainted with a phenomenon that's become commonplace in other cities across the South and the West Coast: cars traveling without anyone behind the wheel.

Waymo LLC’s rideshare service began full autonomous testing in Detroit this week without a human specialist at the wheel as the rideshare company inches closer to public service. The Alphabet Inc.-owned company has been a fixture in Metro Detroit since last November with its Chinese-made Zeekr Ojai vehicles plying the roads. Waymo also uses white Jaguar iPace models.

Waymo Product Communications Manager Chris Bonelli said there is still no timeline for the so-called Waymo Driver service deployment in Detroit. But Waymo is testing in the downtown and surrounding neighborhoods, including Corktown, Midtown, Hamtramck and Indian Village, with plans to expand. It will publish a map of its service area before it opens rides to the public via its phone app (similar to the Uber app).

Waymo operates in cities from San Francisco to Atlanta. Detroit, along with Denver, Minneapolis, Chicago and Montreal, is one of the first northern cities that Waymo is exploring as it seeks to expand its service to states with variable climates.

Service in Denver opened this summer, and Telemetry analyst Sam Abuelsamid expects the Detroit service will be available on a limited basis by the end of the year, with the Waymo app opening to the public at large early in 2027.

“It depends on, you know, how smoothly things go,” said Abuelsamid. “It also depends on the specific permitting rules in a given state. Waymo is the first to do (autonomous rideshare) in Michigan.”

The Zeekr Ojai is an upgrade over the Jaguar Waymo with the sixth-generation Waymo Driver system that allows the vehicle to operate in wintry conditions.

“The sixth-generation Waymo Driver system has their latest generation of radar and lidar and the cameras,” continued Abuelsamid. “It reduces the cost by about 50% compared to the fifth-generation system that was on the Jaguars. They’ve been testing it on some of the Hyundai Ioniq 5s that they will launch later in the year.”

Produced in China, the Ojai is significantly cheaper than the Jaguar even after tariffs. After import, the electric van is outfitted with Waymo hardware and software in its Mesa, Arizona facility.

Waymo doesn't divulge its vehicle manufacturing cost, but Abuelsamid estimates the company pays about $60,000-$70,000 for the Ojai and $140,000-$150,000 for the Jaguar after both are fully built for Waymo Driver.

Waymo is in the process of increasing capacity in Mesa to manufacture tens of thousands of units per year. The Ojai boasts a roomy cabin — Waymo calls it “a living room on wheels” — with features like Gemini AI for passengers, embedded Braille and screen-reader compatibility, and a seat-integrated handle for passenger accessibility.

As in other cities before it, the progression from driver-monitored to fully autonomous rides is part of the normal Waymo test cycle. In the initial phase of testing, Waymo mapped the streets in the areas where the company planned to operate, then integrated the Waymo Driver software with local lighting and traffic safety configurations. The new phase follows months spent with driver monitors on board, familiarizing the so-called Waymo Driver with city streets, coordinating with local officials, and engaging with community members to understand Waymo’s service and how the technology works.

“Rides will initially only be available to Waymo employees, as we work to open our doors to public riders in the future,” said Bonelli. “We’ll follow our safety framework and serve riders in Detroit when we’ve properly validated our technology in the city, and our local operations are ready.”

Beyond vehicle testing, Waymo has been integrating into the community. Emphasizing safety and accessibility, it has partnered with the Epilepsy Foundation of Michigan, the Urban League of Detroit & Southeastern Michigan, and Mothers Against Drunk Driving, Michigan. Waymo served as title sponsor of the League of Michigan Bicyclists’ HUBFest, providing helmet checks and giveaways.

With more than 270 million fully autonomous miles across its operating cities, Waymo claims 95% fewer crashes causing serious or fatal injury compared with human drivers.

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