30 déc 21
Fil d'Actus

Waymo and Geely team up to build a fleet of EV robotaxis

Waymo and Geely's all-electric, autonomous robotaxi concept

Alphabet’s self-driving car company Waymo is partnering with Chinese automaker Geely to create a fleet of all-electric, self-driving robotaxis.

The fleet will initially be deployed in the USA, expanding Waymo’s existing US fleet of self-driving robotaxis. When this will happen has not been specified; in a blog post Waymo says “in the years to come”.

The vehicles will be designed in Sweden (where Geely owns Volvo) and adapted from Geely’s all-electric, five-door Zeekr. Waymo will then install the hardware and software necessary for autonomous driving.

Concept images, shared by Waymo, show a vehicle much like a Minivan with a flat floor, low step-in and B-pillarless design for easy entry and exit, alongside sliding doors, reclining seats and ample headroom. It’ll be interesting to see if and how the concept changes between now and deployment.

Image courtesy of Waymo.

Authored by: Alison Pittaway