\n<\/p>\n
Nearly two years after Waymo and Geely struck a deal to develop robotaxis for the U.S. market, we are seeing concrete progress in the collaboration.<\/p>\n
According to a job post posted on LinkedIn, Zeekr, the young electric car brand started by Chinese auto giant Geely, is hiring a\u00a0logistics manager<\/a> in the U.S. A spokesperson for Zeekr confirmed to TechCrunch that the candidate will work on \u201cthe Waymo project and among other things.\u201d<\/p>\n Not long ago, Zeekr was also hiring a manager to oversee service operations and repair planning<\/a> in the U.S.<\/p>\n The robotaxi project is \u201cproceeding as scheduled,\u201d said the spokesperson, adding that Zeekr will be \u201csharing with Waymo the first vehicles for testing\u201d in the U.S. by the end of this year.<\/p>\n In December 2021, Alphabet\u2019s autonomous driving arm Waymo announced<\/a> plans to build an all-electric robotaxi with Zeekr. Last November, the pair teased a prototype of the model featuring Waymo\u2019s self-driving system and Zeekr-built hardware. As my colleague Kirsten described her impression<\/a>\u00a0at the time:<\/p>\n The vehicle isn\u2019t quite a present-day minivan nor is it a sci-fi vehicle. It\u2019s somewhere in-between with some interesting details, a wisp of Swedish-inspired design thanks to partner CEVT\u00a0and features meant to make it more accessible.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n There\u2019s no specific timeline for when Waymo-Zeekr robotaxi will start commercial operations, though the recruitment move provides some reassurance that the project is moving forward amid a challenging time. Escalating U.S.-China tensions have disrupted other high-profile partnerships between companies from the two superpowers, including Ford\u2019s $3.5 billion plan<\/a> to build a factory with Chinese battery giant CATL in Michigan.<\/p>\n\n