Waymo robotaxi Zeekr RT soon to go into series production
It has been known for three years that the Geely brand Zeekr and Google sister company Waymo are working on a joint robotaxi – Zeekr later presented the new SEA-M platform as the basis for this. The first prototypes have been on the road for test drives in San Francisco since summer 2024, albeit with a safety driver on board who can intervene if the autonomous systems fail.
At CES, Zeekr has now announced the name of the vehicle and provided further details. It will be called Zeekr RT, with the ‘RT’ probably being an abbreviation for ‘Robotaxi’. According to Zeekr CEO Andy An, it will be the “first mass-produced vehicle purpose-built for autonomous driving” in the world. This will also make Zeekr the first Chinese car brand to expand into the US market, Andy An continued. So far, Chinese car brands have been reluctant to enter the US market, where a punitive tariff of 100 per cent applies. However, it remains unclear how Zeekr can cope with this punitive tariff or whether it will receive an exemption.
The Zeekr RT will utilise the sixth generation of robotaxi technology called ‘Waymo Driver’, which was presented in the summer. The new generation of the system only requires 13 cameras instead of the previous 29, and the number of lidar sensors has been reduced from five to four. The exact equipment data for the Zeekr RT is not yet known, but it is expected to be similar to the Zeekr Mix, which is equipped with a 310 kW rear engine as standard. With an NMC battery pack of 77 kWh, it has a CLTC range of 556 kilometres. The wheelbase is three metres. The Zeekr Mix has three sliding doors. Only the driver’s door can be opened in the conventional way. Inside, the Mix has five seats and a table in the centre tunnel.
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