Waymo Defies Tariffs to Fill Robotaxi Fleet with Chinese EVs

Waymo, Google's self-driving taxi division, is importing thousands of Chinese electric vans to fill its robotaxi fleet. The company has signed an agreement with Zeekr, a Chinese automaker, for a dedicated electric van called the Ojai, which is used in Waymo's robotaxis.

Despite facing 127.5% tariffs on Chinese EVs, Waymo has imported over 3,200 Zeekr vans since 2024, with more than 2,600 arriving this year alone. The tariffed price of each Ojai van is estimated to be around $86,500, plus an additional $25,000 for the Gen 6 hardware and software package.

Waymo has calculated that using the Zeekr Ojai makes financial sense, as it costs less than the Jaguar I-Pace models currently in its robotaxi fleet. The company has already deployed over 100 of the Zeekr-built vans in cities like Los Angeles and San Francisco.