Why Waymo’s $150K Robotaxi Is Doomed to Fail

Links from today's show: Alphabet-owned Waymo has revealed details about its newest “generation 6” self-driving technology. With new hardware and software integrated into Geely Zeekr electric vehicles, Waymo should be able to handle a wider array of weather conditions without requiring as many costly cameras and sensors. https://www.cnbc.com/2024/08/19/waymo-generation-6-robotaxi-geely-zeekr.html Zeekr to start deliveries of customized Zeekr Mix to Waymo for robotaxi deployment in 2025 https://carnewschina.com/2025/01/07/zeekr-to-start-deliveries-of-customized-zeekr-mix-to-waymo-for-robotaxi-deployment-in-2025/ The Zeekr Mix electric MPV from Geely has entered the Chinese market with a starting price of 279,900 yuan (39,250 USD). It offers a concept car styling combined with a five-star safety, a record-breaking interior space utilization rate, and a decent price tag. https://carnewschina.com/2024/10/23/zeekr-mix-mpv-with-3-sliding-doors-entered-china-for-39250-usd/ The new Tesla Model Y Juniper applied for a sales license in China, revealing core specs. The car entered the market on January 10, priced between 263,500 – 303,500 yuan (35,950 – 41,400 USD). https://carnewschina.com/2025/01/10/tesla-model-y-juniper-applied-for-the-sales-license-in-china-core-specs-revealed/ The U.S. government on Friday quadrupled the tariff rate on Chinese electric vehicles to 100 percent and sharply raised tariffs on Chinese goods in other areas of strategic importance, such as steel and solar products. https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2024/09/0130c36c7c00-us-100-duty-on-chinese-evs-comes-into-effect.html Zeekr considers production in Europe. The Chinese electric car brand Zeekr is considering building its vehicles in Europe. This would allow the company to avoid EU import duties. However, Zeekr is not planning its own plant in Europe, but would use the production facilities of its parent company Geely. https://www.electrive.com/2024/07/24/zeekr-considers-production-in-europe/ You can support even better content creation at https://www.Patreon.com/FutureAzA, by becoming a YouTube channel member here: https://www.youtube.com/@FutureAzA/join, or subscribing on X.com here: https://www.Twitter.com/FutureAzA. You can also use my Tesla referral to save big and help the channel. https://www.tesla.com/referral/brian684642. #Tesla #TSLA #EVs