Trends
Waymo’s new robot taxi cuts costs by reducing sensors
The company said its sixth-generation hardware is “optimised for cost”, but made no mention of possible tariffs on Chinese electric cars.
Headline
The company said its sixth-generation hardware is “optimised for cost”, but made no mention of possible tariffs on Chinese electric cars.
Context
OUR TAKE Waymo claims that its new robot taxis will be cheaper to produce, but implicitly it could also impose expensive new tariffs on Chinese-made electric cars.As a result, it will become increasingly important for robot taxi companies, especially foreign ones, to keep costs down. Lowering costs will become increasingly important as self-driving taxi companies look to expand and reach new markets. — Iydia Ding, BTW reporter Waymo published a blog post today previewing its new sixth-generation robotaxi, an electric minivan made by Chinese automaker Extreme Krypton . The company said its sixth-generation hardware is “optimised for cost”, but made no mention of possible tariffs on Chinese electric cars.
Evidence
Pending intelligence enrichment.
Analysis
In the post, Waymo’s vice president of engineering, Satish Jeyachandran , touts the new robotaxi as being more high-tech than past iterations, while also featuring fewer sensors to help lower costs for the Alphabet-owned company. But while Waymo claims that its new robotaxi will be cheaper to produce, what’s looming is that it could also impose expensive new tariffs on Chinese-made electric cars. Earlier this year, the Biden administration said it would triple tariffs on electric vehicles from China to 100 per cent from the current 25 per cent as a way to “protect American workers and American companies from China’s unfair trade practices”. Jeyachandran didn’t include any details about when or where the new sixth-generation robotaxi will make its first appearance. It is hoped that the company will be able to remove the uncertainty surrounding the state of vehicle imports before then. Also read: Waymo to expand autonomous ride-hailing service areas in Los Angeles, San Francisco
Key Points
- Waymo published a blog post today previewing its new sixth-generation robotaxi, an electric minivan made by Chinese automaker Extreme Krypton.
- The company said its sixth-generation hardware is “optimised for cost”, but made no mention of possible tariffs on Chinese electric cars.
Actions
Pending intelligence enrichment.
