Robotaxi from Waymo + Zeekr Makes It To San Francisco

Waymo has been leading the way on robotaxis in the US. However, it hasn’t exactly been using the cutting edge in electric vehicle technology. It has relied on relatively old Chrysler Pacific plugin hybrids and, more recently, Jaguar I-PACE electric SUVs. Until now.

Oh, well, it still relies on those, but it’s starting to incorporate brand new Zeekr electric vans in San Francisco, California. The company hasn’t actually started using them in robotaxi service, and there are “less than a handful” out there (bonus points to anyone who spots one), but the custom-designed fully electric robotaxis are the future, and at least their now in testing in California.

This is not quite 3 years after the plans for using these Zeekr robotaxis were laid out by Waymo, back in December 2021.

“Our fourth generation, which was just on the [Chrysler] Pacificas, were vital to helping us prove that we can operate fully autonomously or go rider-only,” Waymo spokesperson Sandy Karp told TechCrunch. “The fifth-generation hardware was critical to help us scale to four cities as of now, as well as navigate dense urban environments. The sixth-generation hardware builds on those capabilities, but it has a much more simplified design. It brings down the cost significantly, and it will help us operate autonomously in colder cities.”

TechCrunch added: “The new minivan-esque vehicle, which appears to be modeled after Zeekr’s upcoming Zeekr 009 minivan, is outfitted with Waymo’s sixth-generation hardware — a more cost-effective set of sensors than previous versions that is also designed to operate in winter environments.”

So, yet again, we see that Waymo is making progress on its initial vision and one could say leading the robotaxi revolution in North America. Others, Tesla fans and executives, contend that Waymo’s approach doesn’t have god long-term viability and Tesla’s more generalized approach is the way to go, but there’s no doubt about it: at the moment, Waymo’s robotaxi deployment beats Tesla’s (which is currently at 0 vehicles). Will Tesla flip the switch on millions of vehicles and flip the script later in 2024, in 2025, or later on? That’s anyone’s guess, and I’m yet to see any experts on the matter predict the future 100% accurately on this technology.

Waymo is yet to provide commercial robotaxi service in a place with true wintry weather. It tested vehicles for a bit in Buffalo, NY, last year, but then stopped doing so. Potentially, though, the new Zeekr vehicles and Waymo’s 6th generation “Driver” will enable that next big step. The company’s 6th-gen sensor suite reportedly includes lidar, radar, cameras, and microphones built in-house. Waymo has been expanding its services pretty consistently of late, but are we on the verge of seeing some serious expansion with both Zeekr EVs and Waymo’s 6th-generation Driver combining for a new era of US robotaxis?

We shall see.