Waymo, Geely's Robotaxi Collaboration Gains Momentum After Two-Year Endeavour

Waymo and Chinese vehicle manufacturer Geely are making progress in their collaboration to create robotaxis for the American market, which has been in the works for nearly two years.

Zeekr, the up-and-coming electric car manufacturer backed by Geely, is currently aggressively seeking a logistics manager in the United States, according to a recent job posting on LinkedIn.

This new worker, among other duties, will play a significant part in the Waymo project, according to a Zeekr spokeswoman.

Zeekr was recently looking for a manager to oversee service operations and repair scheduling in the United States.

The spokesman has verified that the robotaxi project is moving forward as expected, with Zeekr intending to deliver the first vehicles to Waymo by the end of this year for testing in the United States.

The partnership started in December 2021 when Waymo, Alphabet's autonomous driving division, declared its plan to work with Zeekr to create an all-electric robotaxi.

The two businesses unveiled a prototype in November of the same year that combined Zeekr hardware with Waymo's self-driving software. The car's distinctive style and accessibility features won accolades.

The Waymo-Zeekr robotaxi's commercial operations have no set launch date, but these recent recruitment efforts show that the project is progressing despite obstacles.

Progress is all the more impressive given the way that high-profile alliances have been derailed by tensions between the United States and China.

The logistics manager position will report to Ron Oppat, Zeekr's U.S. general manager, who joined the Chinese manufacturer with 20 years of experience from his time at Ford.

This position will concentrate on expanding Zeekr's distribution network for finished automobiles and replacement components and is ideally positioned in the San Francisco or San Jose regions.

In order to reduce vehicle maintenance downtimes and support Zeekr's growth ambitions, it will also require developing effective logistics processes, systems, partnerships, and supply strategies.

Zeekr has big aspirations for growth in the United States; it wants to hire 8–10 more people this year and 25 more people the next year, excluding third-party technicians.

This expansion demonstrates Zeekr's dedication to developing autonomous transportation solutions in partnership with Waymo.