For autonomous vehicle-obsessed, the Waymo-Zeekr robotaxi is nothing new.
In 2021, Waymo and Zeekr announced a partnership. Waymo first showed a concept Purpose-built robotaxis In late 2022 and began testing prototype versions on public roads in San Francisco last year, it even began rolling out a commercial fleet of Jaguar i-Pace Robotaxis.
Still, a few new details emerged this week at CES 2025 in Las Vegas, where both Zeekr and Waymo are exhibiting. And thanks to a static display featuring the Zeekr Robotaxi, we get a close-up view of its sensors and the smallest wiper you've ever seen.
The image below shows a package of sensors, located on the front of the vehicle just above the tires. This sensor pod contains two cameras with a small wiper – designed to keep it clear of debris – and radar. Another package of sensors on the back of the robotaxis includes cameras, radar and lidar. That lidar also has a cleaning system and wipers.
Waymo told Techcrunch that the company designed the sensor-cleaning system from scratch. (And yes, its Jaguar i-Pace Robotics has a mini cleaning system.)
In all, Zeekr RT has 13 cameras, four lidars, six radars and an external audio receiver. the leaderor light detection and ranging radar, capable of measuring distance by sending out pulses of light and determining how long it takes for the pulse to return.
Robotaxi now has an official name — Zeekr RT, which was revealed at CES 2025. And also some more details Zeekr announced at CES 2025 that it will begin supplying mass-produced Zeekr RTs to Waymo later this year.
For now, according to Waymo, those robotoxies will be used for testing. Eventually, they will become part of the company's commercial fleet.
The Alphabet company, which has a major exhibit at CES 2025, began testing components of the Zeekr robotaxy in early 2024, starting with the base chassis and later equipped with sensors. Today, Waymo tested prototype Zeekr RTs on public streets in San Francisco and Phoenix. These vehicles are in autonomous mode with a human safety driver behind the wheel.
Once Waymo gets production-purpose robotaxis, the company will continue to test and validate them before rolling out human safety drivers. Waymo will likely follow suit and test the Zeekr RT in driverless mode before opening it to the public.