Motortrend – Waymo’s New L.A.-Based Robotaxi Has 10 Windshield Wipers
What? Why so many? And why so small?
Editors note: this article on Waymo using Zeekr vehicles is relevant given that their current vehicle, the Jaguire I-Pace, is being discontinued. Also, it is noteworthy that Zeekr is a Chinese company meaning that the vehicles will face a 100% import tariff.
See original article by Alex Leanse at Motortrend
If you’ve been in Los Angeles recently, you’ll know that Waymo robotaxis are everywhere. The company’s modified Jaguar I-Pace SUVs are a common sight, but another vehicle is joining the Waymo fleet: the Zeekr RT.
Built by a subsidiary of China’s Geely, which also owns Volvo, the Zeekr RT is a small all-electric van. Although it shares basic hardware with Chinese EV passenger vans, the RT is produced exclusively for Waymo. Zeekr builds the RT, as Waymo supplies hardware, software, and infrastructure for autonomous ride-hailing. It’s likely the most common vehicle from a Chinese brand on American roads.
You can’t yet ride in a Waymo Zeekr RT, but I see them often. There’s a Waymo fleet depot in my neighborhood, seemingly used for charging and upkeep. Recently, I’ve noticed an influx of Zeekr RT vans, and have been eager to take a closer look. I got that chance when I encountered several street-parked RTs—and noticed a funny little feature.
Seeing the Way(mo)
A variety of external sensors let Waymo’s robotaxis perceive their surroundings. Cameras, radar, and lidar are housed in conspicuous pods around the vehicle. These sensors need to stay clean to function, and the RT has an interesting solution for doing so: windshield wipers. Except, these aren’t wipers like I’ve ever seen before.
That’s because they’re tiny—can’t be more than three inches long. But they work just as you’d expect, sweeping back and forth to clean a semicircular area on the little glass panels over the Zeekr RT’s optical sensors. Each is accompanied by a washer fluid spray nozzle.
Wait, each? How many are there?
Eight of the small ones: four on the roof, and one at the corner above each wheel. Given that the Zeekr RT also has two full-size conventional windshield wipers, this could be the most wiper-equipped vehicle on the planet. (It lacks a rear windshield wiper, a missed opportunity.)
Waymo Clarifies
Waymo provided a few more insights about these tiny wipers. The company says, “Clean windows allow for significantly better vision capability in rain, fog, snow, and scenes with poor lighting conditions like looking into headlights or the sun.” The wipers are there to “keep our camera windows clean from foulants like grime, organics (bugs), and even snow.”
A more illuminating part of Waymo’s response indicates how autonomous vehicles must be approached fundamentally differently than a traditional car: “Supporting each of our sensors are preventive measures—from coatings and heaters to wipers and sprayers—to keep our sensors clean and the Waymo on the road in some of the harshest conditions. We have designed a compressive automated onboard cleaning system, along with a robust cleaning policy that detects and dictates when and how to clean the sensors and under what conditions, all without human intervention.”
Even simple cleaning is vastly more complex for an autonomous vehicle than a human-driven one. I mean, I have a policy of washing a car if a bird does its business on it, but that’s hardly a safety concern—like gunk on a robotaxi’s camera might be. The RT has to know when and how to clean its sensors autonomously, too.
Another interesting fact: Waymo confirmed that all the vehicle’s wiper wash spray nozzles draw from a single central reservoir, indicating some complicated ducting beneath the skin to reach those eight cameras.
Wiping Into the Future
What does this all mean? I dunno, beyond illuminating one type of ancillary problem autonomous-driving companies must also solve. I was just amused by the tiny size and huge quantity of the Zeekr RT’s windshield wipers, and thought you might be, too. In preparing this article I went deep down the wiper rabbit hole, and took you along with me if you’ve read this far. Now we both know more about Waymo’s sensor cleaning strategies than we might’ve ever cared to, but aren’t those itty bitty wipers just so cute?
See original article by Alex Leanse at Motortrend
