Waymo is making a pretty unusual bet in the US market. The Google-owned autonomous driving company is reportedly paying import tariffs of up to 127.5% to bring Chinese-built Zeekr electric vans into its robotaxi fleet.
That may sound like a terrible deal at first, especially given the tough US restrictions on Chinese EVs. But once the numbers are broken down, the logic becomes much easier to understand.
Waymo Still Wants Zeekr Even With 127.5% Tariffs
Waymo plans to use these vans as purpose-built autonomous taxis as it expands its driverless services across major US cities.
The project goes back to an agreement with Zeekr, the premium EV brand owned by Geely, to develop a compact electric van specifically for self-driving use. The vehicle is known as the CM1e in China, while Waymo calls it Ojai.
Since 2024, more than 3,200 of these vans have reportedly been imported into the US, including more than 2,600 this year alone. Over 100 are already said to be operating in Waymo’s fleet in Los Angeles and San Francisco.
The Numbers Still Work In Waymo’s Favor
The surprising part is that even after the tariffs, the Zeekr van can still make financial sense.
Its declared import value is estimated at around $38,000. Once the 127.5% tariff is added, that figure rises to roughly $86,500.
Waymo’s sixth-generation self-driving hardware, sensors, and software add around another $25,000, pushing the total cost of a fully equipped vehicle beyond $100,000.
That is still far below the cost of a fully prepared Jaguar I-Pace, which has been a key part of Waymo’s fleet and can reportedly cost more than $200,000 once equipped for autonomous operation.
The Zeekr van also has another advantage. It was designed from the start with passenger transport in mind, giving Waymo a more spacious and practical cabin for robotaxi duty.
ArabGT’s View
The most interesting part of this story is not simply that Waymo is importing Chinese EVs. It is that the company appears willing to absorb a 127.5% tariff because the overall package can still be cheaper and better suited to the job.
That says a lot about how competitive Chinese EV manufacturing has become, especially when it comes to cost, packaging, and purpose-built vehicle design.
It also shows where autonomous transport may be heading. Instead of adapting normal passenger cars for robotaxi use, companies may increasingly prefer vehicles designed specifically around that role from day one.
Would you trust a Chinese-built Zeekr robotaxi as much as one based on a Jaguar or another established Western brand?
