- Waymo unveiled its latest robotaxi, which is manufactured by Chinese Tesla rival Zeekr.
- The Google-backed company is expanding rapidly and now provides about 100,000 trips a week.
- Waymo has little competition, but Elon Musk is set to unveil Tesla’s own robotaxi in October.
Waymo is steadily taking over the streets of San Francisco — and just unveiled its newest robotaxi.
The Google-backed self-driving car startup previewed its sixth-generation Waymo Driver this week. Its first purpose-built robotaxi is a dramatic departure from the modified Jaguar i-Pace vehicles being used by Waymo.
Waymo says the latest iteration of its driverless robotaxi has fewer sensors, making it cheaper to run, and can operate in extreme heat, rain, hail, and fog — something that has caused difficulties thus far.
The new vehicle is made by China’s Zeekr, which is challenging Tesla in China’s red-hot EV market.
Waymo’s robotaxi might eventually come up against a Tesla rival in the US, too. Elon Musk’s company plans to reveal its own robotaxi in October.
Tesla has a fair amount of ground to make up on Waymo, which has expanded rapidly in recent years, although its vehicles have been subject to regulatory scrutiny — and occasional bouts of late-night honking.
The company said on Tuesday that it now provides 100,000 rides a week, up from 50,000 weekly paid trips as recently as May.
It may be a while before you can ride in one of Waymo’s next-generation robotaxis, however.
Waymo has not said when the new robotaxi will become available. It could also be embroiled in geopolitical tensions, with the Biden administration planning new tariffs and regulations on Chinese-made EVs and autonomous driving software.
A Waymo spokesperson previously told The Verge the company is closely monitoring potential tariffs, and said no element of its self-driving software originated in China.
