Waymo, the American autonomous driving technology company and subsidiary of Alphabet Inc has joined hands with Zeekr, the premium Chinese electric brand of Geely Holding Group to collaborate on the development of a new pure electric vehicle that will be deployed in the Waymo One autonomous ride-hailing fleet in the United States.
Zeekr is designing and developing the new purpose-built mobility vehicle on a new proprietary and open-source mobility architecture at its R&D facility, CEVT (China Europe Vehicle Technology Centre) in Gothenburg, Sweden.
Waymo will take delivery of the vehicles in the United States and will then integrate its fully autonomous Waymo Driver into the vehicle platform.
Zeekr said the new vehicle will be designed to be rider-centric from the outset, with fully configurable cabin – both with and without driver controls – that can be tailored towards rider requirements for the Waymo One unmanned ride-hailing fleet in the US.
Andy An, CEO, Zeekr Technology said the company was born on the ideals of equality, diversity, and sustainability. “By becoming a strategic partner and vehicle supplier to the Waymo One fleet, we will be able to share our experience, ideals and provide our expertise in collaborating on a fully electric vehicle that fits Waymo's requirements for this rapidly expanding segment in the global market for sustainable travel.”
Zeekr was founded in early 2021 as a global technology-mobility brand with design and engineering resources in Sweden. The first model from Zeekr, the 001, was introduced in April 2021 with deliveries starting in October of the same year.