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Google’s parent company, Alphabet, operates Waymo’s robotaxi business. This spy shot shows the cold weather development of an autonomous electric vehicle from Chinese brand Zeekr that Waymo is looking to add to its fleet.
Up front, the Zeekr robotaxi has a smooth shape. There is a small hole in the middle of the bottom. The headlights have a high position on the nose with a position just below the windshield.
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Looking through the glass, you can see a driver holding the steering wheel and a passenger in the van. Having someone in control hints at this one not run independently.
Profile-wise, the steeply sloping nose and boxy rear make the Zeekr look like a smaller version of General Motors’ wedge-shaped minivans from the 1990s: the Chevrolet Lumina APV, Oldsmobile Silhouette, and Pontiac Trans Sport. The high side doors and low floor of the vehicle make getting in and out of the van a breeze.
The back of this van has a lot of snow covering it. There is a wide rear window with an arch-like shape. Under the glass, there are horizontally oriented taillights. The hatch appears to have a large opening and a low floor for easy loading of cargo.
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end of 2021, Waymo announces a deal with Chinese automaker Geely for its Zeekr brand to supply robotaxis. The rendering (gallery above) shows a vehicle with a pair of sliding doors on each side. It has a flat floor and two rows of seats for a total of five passengers. The original plan wasn’t to put the steering wheel in the cabin, but the wheels are visible in this spy shot.
It’s unclear when Zeekr’s robotaxi hit the road. “We will begin introducing these all-electric, rider-first, and fully autonomous vehicles on US roads in our Waymo One fleet in the coming years,” said a statement from Waymo announcing the partnership with Geely.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recently removed the requirement for fully autonomous vehicles to have manual controls to meet safety standards. Only models operating only on automated driving systems can take advantage of this rule change.
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