The Alphabet subsidiary specializing in autonomous driving technologies decides to join forces with Geely, the Chinese automobile giant, owner of Volvo Cars. A sino-american alliance which aims to produce an electric and autonomous version of Geely’s Zeekr, without steering wheel or pedals a few years from now.
A Zeekr specially designed for Waymo
With Geely, Waymo intends to expand its fleet of autonomous vehicles. The two companies plan to jointly develop a variant of the Zeekr electric vehicle from Geely. This model will be specifically designed for the Waymo One on-demand mobility services. Until now, Waymo has used different types of vehicles, such as Jaguar I-Paces, Fiat Chryslers, or Volvo XC60s. None of these vehicles had been specially designed for Waymo, as will be the case with Geely’s Zeekr.
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It had been several months since Waymo was looking for the perfect partner to provide it with the know-how and industrial resources necessary to develop its own fleet of autonomous taxis. With Geely, this dream becomes a reality. Over the next few years, Waymo intends to develop its “Transportation-as-a-service (TaaS)”. The concept is simple: an autonomous vehicle, without driver or pedals, designed to offer maximum comfort to its users.
A new fully autonomous taxi soon on the roads
Geely’s Zeekr offers a perfectly flat floor to facilitate getting on and off, and retractable seats to facilitate access and provide plenty of room for passengers. The car is deliberately low, while the ceiling is high to avoid having to stoop too much to take its place.
The doors will be sliding, forward and backward to provide wide access to passengers when entering the vehicle. Inside the Zeekr, Waymo and Geely plan to install screens and chargers within easy reach.
Overview of the Zeekr. Image: Waymo
Waymo does not give an official timetable for the deployment of the Zeekr on American roads. It will at least be necessary to wait until 2023. In the meantime, the Alphabet subsidiary continues to refine its autonomous taxi service in Phoenix as well as in California. If all goes well, the arrival of the Zeekr should allow Waymo to formalize the commercial launch of its offer throughout the United States. In any case, this is the desired objective.