This week, President Joe Biden’s administration passed legislation effectively banning all vehicle technology linked to China and Russia from American roads — a crackdown with far-reaching effects, not least regarding China’s cheap EV trade. The US Commerce Department disagreed. that rule, first proposed in September, is necessary to protect American vehicles from foreign enemies and interference. “Imagine if there were thousands or hundreds of thousands of Chinese-linked vehicles on American roads that could be immediately killed by somebody in Beijing,” Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said last year. Bans on Chinese and Russian software will begin in 2027, with hardware restrictions in 2029. On paper, it could look like a disaster for Waymo. Self-driving technology developer Alphabet announced in 2021 that automaker Zeekr—a brand majority owned by Chinese auto giant Geely—will build its next-generation robotaxis. In fact, preproduction models have been tested on the roads in San Francisco and Phoenix, with Zeekr officials telling reporters earlier this month that they will begin shipping the production version of the vehicle, called the Zeekr RT, later this year. Despite the new rules, Waymo is confident that this partnership will not be affected and plans to move forward as planned. The Commerce Department last year said Waymo said its vehicles would not have to comply with the new rules because all the connected technology on board was owned and installed by Americans. The vehicles Waymo received from Geely, he said, were “base vehicles,” stripped of telematics systems and other technologies that allow vehicles to communicate with, or send data back to, the manufacturer. Only “authorized personnel” install Waymo’s self-driving technology into cars after they are shipped to the United States. The Commerce Department did not respond to WIRED’s inquiries about the Zeekr Waymo partnership. service using a modified Jaguar I-Pace electric vehicle in metro Phoenix, Arizona, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. Atlanta and Austin are expected to join later this year. The company also signed an agreement with Hyundai to use modified Ioniq 5s in its ride-hailing fleet later this year. ceiling, and a low step that can make the vehicle accessible to more riders – will get rid of the ban, it is still unclear whether it can comply with the new, 100 percent. tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles, which the Biden administration completed last fall.
