Waymo expands robotaxi fleet with thousands of tariff-hit Chinese Zeekr vans

Research firm ImportGenius recorded that Zeekr has delivered more than 3,200 CM1e electric vans to the United States since 2024, with over 2,600 arriving this year alone, and Waymo is the sole U.S. partner for these vehicles. Although a 127.5% tariff on Chinese EVs would inflate the $39,000 Chinese list price to roughly $89,000 per van, Waymo appears to be absorbing the cost to expand its robotaxi fleet across eleven U.S. cities and plans for additional markets.

The company fits its own sixth-generation autonomous hardware into the stripped-down vans at a facility in Mesa, Arizona, complying with U.S. security and safety regulations. Waymo’s spokesperson confirmed more than 300 Ojai vans are already serving riders, and the firm is also integrating Google’s Gemini AI chatbot into the rear-seat screens. Analysts estimate Waymo imports about 300 Zeekr vans each month, a figure far above earlier expectations, and speculate the automaker may be offering the vehicles at a deep discount. The move positions Waymo ahead of emerging competitors such as Amazon’s Zoox, which is preparing its own purpose-built robotaxis for U.S. streets.