Self-driving cars from Waymo, a subsidiary of Alphabet, have begun operating on the streets of San Francisco and Los Angeles, featuring significant improvements that allow them to navigate extreme weather conditions, notably heavy snowfall. Previously, such autonomous taxis struggled during severe weather, but the latest models are designed to handle these challenges effectively, improving their skills in street traffic as well.

Waymo announced on Thursday that it has started deploying its sixth generation of autonomous systems, which includes a new platform named Ojai, based on models from Chinese automaker Geely. This marks a shift from Waymo's previous offerings, which primarily involved luxury Jaguar I-PACE SUVs, as Ojai provides a more practical design aimed at enhancing passenger comfort with a lower entry and higher ceiling, while still maintaining exterior dimensions similar to that of a Jaguar.

These advancements not only signify Waymo's commitment to overcoming previous hurdles in autonomous driving technology but also highlight the competitive landscape in the self-driving taxi market. As these vehicles begin to operate under more varied weather conditions, they could potentially revolutionize urban transportation and improve accessibility, depending on their broader rollout and public acceptance.