Waymo is developing a roomier robotaxi with less-expensive tech

Alphabet-owned Waymo revealed details about its newest "generation 6" self-driving technology on Monday. Its new driverless tech, integrated into Geely Zeekr electric vehicles, should be able to handle a wider array of weather conditions without requiring as many costly cameras and sensors on board.

The company invited CNBC to its Mountain View, California, garage to see the new robotaxis in development. Satish Jeyachandran, Waymo's vice president of engineering, said the team is "confident we can bring this generation to market much faster than the prior generation," citing advances in machine learning technology and semiconductor performance.

Waymo's commercial robotaxi service first went live in late 2018 in the U.S. The company previously integrated its driverless systems into Chrysler Pacifica hybrid minivans and fully electric Jaguar I-PACE SUVs.

Executives are sharing details about the forthcoming robotaxis as Waymo works to scale its existing service, Waymo One, within the Sunbelt cities of San Francisco, Phoenix, Austin, Texas, and Los Angeles.

Today, Waymo provides around 50,000 paid driverless trips weekly, primarily in San Francisco and Phoenix. In June, the company dropped its waitlist and opened Waymo rides to any users in San Francisco. Waymo has completed more than 2 million trips to date.

Last month, Alphabet announced it would invest a fresh $5 billion in its autonomous vehicle unit, which first began as "project chauffeur" at Google in 2009.

Jeyachandran told CNBC that the capital will be used mostly for scaling, including adding the new robotaxis to its fleet once Generation 6 testing and validation is complete. He said he anticipates that Waymo's Jaguar I-PACE and Geely Zeekr vehicles will "coexist."

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