Waymo orders thousands of Chinese-made cars for American streets — and the timing raises eyebrows

Waymo is getting lots of attention over potential national security concerns as it seeks to expand its self-driving fleet.

In 2024, Senator Rick Scott sent a letter to Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Chair Gary Gensler, voicing concerns about an electric vehicle brand called Zeekr. At the time, the company was filing with the SEC “to publicly list and trade on U.S. exchanges,” but Scott was worried that the company’s Chinese ties could result in a security risk within the United States.

“Zeekr is a subsidiary of Zhejiang Geely Holding Group, a Chinese conglomerate with close ties to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). As you know, the CCP’s ongoing authoritarian control over China’s economy and companies raises significant risks for U.S. investors, which is why this listing is deeply concerning, both to the integrity and strength of U.S. capital markets as well as the protection of American investors,” Scott wrote. “Along with these issues come the concerns regarding supply chain and human rights abuses. Recently, a report from the U.S. Senate Finance Committee revealed that a number of auto companies have alarming ties to forced labor and human rights violations. With Zeekr being both a Chinese auto company and linked to the CCP, I have serious questions about how the SEC can be confident that Zeekr is not utilizing specific supply chains that rely on forced labor.”

Now, over two years later, Waymo has ordered thousands of EVs from Zeekr in an effort to increase its reach and provide more robotaxis. It is seeking to import 5,100 “Ojai” vehicles, a rebranded version made by the controversial company, by the end of the year, and critics are concerned. However, Waymo insists that it only sources the physical vehicle from the company, and the sensors and other self-driving tech are added to it at a plant in Arizona.

One of those expressing skepticism is former senior safety advisor at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Missy Cummins, who spoke to The New York Post about the company’s explanation. She said that the assurances don’t go nearly far enough, and that Zeekr could be one step ahead.

“I would have to get in and look at the physical construct of the car to know that that’s absolutely true. It’s very possible that the Chinese have layered in other sensors that are recording data and sending it back to China,” she said.

Waymo argues that each vehicle undergoes extensive scrutiny and “cutting-edge security testing to protect the company’s trade secrets.”

American lawmakers find themselves in a particularly precarious situation, as they attempt to navigate regulation.

“Waymo’s Zeekr deal poses a dilemma for DC policymakers, well-placed sources told The Post. US auto executives have warned that cheap Chinese cars pose a major threat to Elon Musk’s Tesla and Detroit’s Big 3 carmakers. But lawmakers also want to avoid hamstringing Waymo, a frontrunner in the global self-driving car race,” The Post reported.

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Sierra Marlee

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Sierra Marlee is a millennial whose hunger for the truth in a world of fake news has led her to write. Marlee also contributes to BizPac Review.

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