What’s up with the new blue Waymo vans in Phoenix?

Driving around the Valley, Phoenix residents have become accustomed to Waymo’s sleek, white autonomous Jaguar model, with its rotating black hat-shaped topper on its roof. Love them or hate them, spotting them is a daily occurrence for the average Valley resident.

But recently, Valley drivers have begun to spot a new blue and boxy van-like Waymo driving around town.

The newest addition to Valley roadways and Waymo One’s fleet is the Zeekr RT. The vehicle is a collaboration with the Chinese car manufacturer Geely and is a “mobility-focused, all-electric Zeekr vehicle" designed in Sweden to be an autonomous robotaxi, according to a Waymo news release announcing the partnership in December 2021.

The company began initial testing of the vehicles in Phoenix early last year with a “limited testing fleet” of fewer than 50 cars, Waymo spokesperson Chris Bonelli wrote in an email to Phoenix New Times. Prototypes of the Zeekr RT have no steering wheel, pedals or side mirrors — no driver, so no need for them — though test models are equipped with those features.

You can’t order a ride and hop into a Zeekr RT just yet. Currently, Waymo is “performing supervised autonomous testing with employees on surface streets and freeways” in the Valley, as well as San Francisco and Los Angeles, Bonelli wrote. So, if you take a peek inside a model the next time you drive by one, you’ll likely see a driver behind the wheel.

Eventually, Waymo wrote in its announcement, “our Waymo One riders will one day experience an interior without steering wheel and pedals.” The car will have to clear U.S. regulators first, though the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recently streamlined a process for granting exemptions to autonomous vehicles without driver controls.
Waymo touts the Zeekr RT’s “mobility-focused” design. Upon opening the large sliding doors, the vehicle has a spacious interior that can accommodate four passengers with a low step into the vehicle, as well as “ample headroom” to enter or exit the vehicle's large opening, which allows for “easy ingress, egress and excellent ergonomics,” Bonelli wrote. Additional features include screens throughout the car, front seats that recline and tilt, braille buttons, easy phone charging and adjustable air conditioning vents.

While it’s likely that you’ll start seeing more of the Zeekr RTs, it’s unlikely that the white Jaguar Waymos (and their distinctive humming sounds and occasional colorful body art) will go away anytime soon.

Currently, more than 1,500 classic, sleek white Jaguar vehicles are rolling around San Francisco, Los Angeles, Phoenix and Austin. According to a news release from May, the company plans to build 2,000 more Jaguars to add to its fleet nationwide. Production is happening in Mesa, where Waymo has an “integration plant” that Waymo vice president of operations Ryan McNamara called the “epicenter of our future growth plans.”

However, it’s possible that Waymo will eventually move away from the Jaguar and in the direction of the Zeekr RT model. Last year, the Jaguar I-PACE model ended production and Waymo received its final delivery from Jaguar earlier this year. Still, the company is “committed to the model for the near future,” Bonelli said.

It’s unclear when Phoenix residents to be able to hail the new Zeekr RT models. But when that time comes, there may be no steering wheel, so prepare for a trippy ride.