How Waymo got Chinese EVs onto American roads

Want to ride in a Chinese-built EV? If you live in the U.S., your best bet might be hailing a Waymo robotaxi. Waymo’s custom-made Ojai vehicles, which started public rides in San Francisco, L.A., and Phoenix this summer, are manufactured in Ningbo, China, and then shipped to the U.S., where Waymo adds its own autonomous driving technology. Hundreds are on the road now, and as the company rolls them out in Denver, Las Vegas, and San Diego later this year, that number will jump to the thousands. Waymo has reportedly imported more than 3,000 of the vehicles, including 2,600 last year. The vehicles stand out at a time when China-made EVs are largely shut out of the American market. Waymo Ojai self-driving vehicles in San Francisco, California, on Wednesday, May 27, 2026. [Photo: Jason Henry/Bloomberg/Getty Images] American consumers are missing out on Chinese EVs China is the global leader in electric vehicles—and, increasingly, in any kind of vehicle. In the U.K., the five fastest-growing car brands are all Chinese, including Jaecoo, BYD, and Chery. In Australia, Chinese brands have nearly tripled their share of the market over the last four years. In Brazil, where electric vehicle s…