Waymo, the self-driving tech development unit of Alphabet, has begun public road testing in San Francisco with a new robotaxis built by Chinese automaker Zeekr. These vehicles are currently not driving autonomously and are in limited numbers.

The Zeekr vehicles, modeled after the Zeekr 009 minivan, use Waymo’s sixth-generation hardware, which includes more cost-effective sensors and is designed to operate in winter environments. This generation aims to reduce costs and improve autonomous operation in various climates.

Analyst QuickTake: Waymo first partnered with Geely in December 2021 to develop electric autonomous robotaxis, with plans to retrofit the cars with the hardware and software necessary for autonomous driving. The duo revealed the prototype in November 2022. Waymo currently uses robotaxis built on modified Jaguar I-Pace crossovers and Chrysler Pacifica minivans, which will likely be replaced with Zeekr’s model once deployed.