Waymo, the Alphabet-owned robotaxi service that currently uses a fleet of Jaguar I-Pace electric vehicles to offer driverless rides in several U.S. cities, has brought an undisclosed number of Zeekr-made self-driving vans to the U.S., according to a scoop from TechCrunch.
The news came yesterday, the same day that General Motors announced it was abandoning its Cruise Origin self-driving car project because of regulatory hurdles caused by the lack of a steering wheel and pedals. Costs were also a concern.
American Auto Taxi Scene
While Tesla continues to play the “coming soon” card regarding its potential robotaxi business and GM’s Cruise remains in a slump after a bumpy ride last year, Alphabet’s Waymo continues to move forward with more investments and a new, next-generation vehicle.
The small, self-driving electric car was unveiled in 2021. It was designed and engineered in Sweden by Zeekr, a Geely car brand, which also operates manufacturing at one of its factories in China. It has seating for five or four with sliding doors, making entry and exit easy.
However, Waymo insists that the self-driving cars made in China, which feature a sixth-generation sensor suite, many of which were designed and built in-house, leave the assembly line without any software or sensors produced by Zeekr. After the prototypes are shipped to the United States, the so-called Waymo Driver suite of hardware and software is integrated into the vehicles.
Waymo’s latest generation of robotaxi is just beginning its journey in the US. There are currently “less than a handful” of self-driving Zeekr vehicles in San Francisco, and none are driving autonomously yet. Instead, they’re being tested by human drivers, much as Cruise is doing with its fleet of Chevrolet Bolt EVs after last year’s disaster that forced its former CEO to resign.
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The updated hardware and software in the sixth-generation car is simpler than the technology in Jaguar’s current I-Pace EVs, which are running on the fifth-generation Driver. It includes more capable lidar, radar, cameras and microphones than before, which should help the company expand its operations into colder environments one day. Additionally, TechCrunch writes that the hardware has been tested in extreme climates such as Death Valley and Las Vegas.
Compared to the ill-fated Cruise Origin, the Zeekr-built Waymo minivan has a removable steering wheel, which could make its certification process a little easier. What’s more, the Chinese-made EV appears to be on its way to becoming Waymo’s future car, as the Jaguar I-Pace was recently discontinued, making it impossible for the Alphabet-owned company to replace damaged vehicles or add new ones to its fleet once Jaguar stock runs out.
