Biden’s Tariffs Present New Challenges for Waymo’s Chinese Robotaxis

Waymo’s plan to enhance its robotaxi fleet with new vehicles from China faced unexpected hurdles due to the trade policies implemented by the Biden administration.

The Alphabet-owned company was set to introduce a new robotaxi created by Zeekr, a subsidiary of China’s Geely. These vehicles, initially designed in Sweden (as Geely owns Swedish carmaker Volvo), were customized from Geely’s all-electric Zeekr five-door model. Waymo added the necessary hardware and software for autonomous driving to these cars, with the first batch of new vehicles arriving in the US earlier this year.

However, the future of these vehicles is uncertain due to the potential imposition of stricter tariffs by the Biden administration, aimed at curbing Chinese EV imports into the US. This move could significantly impact the smooth introduction and operation of Waymo’s Chinese-made robotaxis in the American market.

For more details on how this development could affect Waymo’s plans and the future of the robotaxi industry, you can continue reading the full article on The Verge [here](https://www.theverge.com/2024/8/12/24218528/waymo-zeekr-geely-robotaxi-china-biden-tariff-ev-import).