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I wonder what loophole Waymo used here: Bonelli said that the Ojai is not affected by the U.S. government's regulations that aim to prevent Chinese cars from b

by jerlam 9mo ago

I wonder what loophole Waymo used here: Bonelli said that the Ojai is not affected by the U.S. government's regulations that aim to prevent Chinese cars from being sold to customers in the U.S. Possibly the Ojai is not fully assembled (therefore, not a car), or Waymo does not count as a consumer. Also, I hope they're more comfortable than the current Jaguars. I was stuck in traffic in the back of a Waymo for almost an hour and it wasn't great. If Waymo is expanding their range, longer rides might be more common.

seanmcdirmid 9mo ago
BYD already assembles buses in SoCal, so I don't see why they couldn't just set up something like that. Ah, but asking Gemini, I guess its different: Waymo is partnering with Chinese automotive giant Geely's brand, Zeekr, to produce the new AV platform. To comply with U.S. regulations, the vehicles are imported without any built-in telematics or data-transmitting hardware/software that could pose a national security risk. "Base Vehicles": The vehicles Waymo receives from Zeekr are essentially "gliders" or base platforms, stripped of any internal communication systems that would allow them to send data back to the manufacturer in China. U.S. Installation: All of Waymo's self-driving technology and connected components are installed after the vehicles arrive in the U.S. by authorized personnel. This means the entire "connected tech" system on board is American-owned and American-fitted, allowing Waymo to argue its vehicles fall outside the scope of U.S. Commerce Department restrictions on Chinese connected vehicles. They still have to pay steep tariffs, but on less complete cheaper vehicles.
Zigurd 9mo ago
For the Ipace-based Waymos, Magna was assembling them. They already built the Ipace for Jaguar. IIRC there's a plant in Arizona where Magna does this. So it's plausible that they are assembling the Zeeker van there, too. For whatever value of "assembling" gets around the tariffs. That and a few dozen solid gold Pixel Folds should do the job.
- seanmcdirmid 9mo ago
  The import restrictions (can't import) on Chinese connected vehicles. It isn't about tariffs, they just can't import them. However, since Waymo is adding custom electronics in the US (and the Chinese vehicle is shipped to them with none), this restriction doesn't apply. This all comes from an article one year ago: https://www.wired.com/story/waymo-finds-a-way-around-us-restrictions-on-chinese-evs/ https://www.wired.com/story/waymo-finds-a-way-around-us-rest... They still have to pay a 100% tariff on the vehicle they receive, but It is probably somewhere in the realm of just $10k-$20k since they are receiving fairly stripped down vehicles.

by jerlam 9mo ago

seanmcdirmid 9mo ago

BYD already assembles buses in SoCal, so I don't see why they couldn't just set up something like that. Ah, but asking Gemini, I guess its different: Waymo is partnering with Chinese automotive giant Geely's brand, Zeekr, to produce the new AV platform. To comply with U.S. regulations, the vehicles are imported without any built-in telematics or data-transmitting hardware/software that could pose a national security risk. "Base Vehicles": The vehicles Waymo receives from Zeekr are essentially "gliders" or base platforms, stripped of any internal communication systems that would allow them to send data back to the manufacturer in China. U.S. Installation: All of Waymo's self-driving technology and connected components are installed after the vehicles arrive in the U.S. by authorized personnel. This means the entire "connected tech" system on board is American-owned and American-fitted, allowing Waymo to argue its vehicles fall outside the scope of U.S. Commerce Department restrictions on Chinese connected vehicles. They still have to pay steep tariffs, but on less complete cheaper vehicles.

Zigurd 9mo ago

For the Ipace-based Waymos, Magna was assembling them. They already built the Ipace for Jaguar. IIRC there's a plant in Arizona where Magna does this. So it's plausible that they are assembling the Zeeker van there, too. For whatever value of "assembling" gets around the tariffs. That and a few dozen solid gold Pixel Folds should do the job.

seanmcdirmid 9mo ago
The import restrictions (can't import) on Chinese connected vehicles. It isn't about tariffs, they just can't import them. However, since Waymo is adding custom electronics in the US (and the Chinese vehicle is shipped to them with none), this restriction doesn't apply. This all comes from an article one year ago: https://www.wired.com/story/waymo-finds-a-way-around-us-restrictions-on-chinese-evs/ https://www.wired.com/story/waymo-finds-a-way-around-us-rest... They still have to pay a 100% tariff on the vehicle they receive, but It is probably somewhere in the realm of just $10k-$20k since they are receiving fairly stripped down vehicles.