Hyundai Motor's US Autonomous Driving Joint Venture to Operate Electric Robotaxis with Local Ride-Hailing Company

Hyundai Motor Group's U.S. autonomous driving joint venture Motional and local ride-hailing company Lyft jointly introduced an autonomous driving robotaxi

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Dae-yeol] Motional, Hyundai Motor Group's autonomous driving joint venture in the United States, announced on the 16th (local time) that it will launch a ride-hailing service in Las Vegas in partnership with local ride-sharing company Lyft. The robo-taxi is based on the dedicated electric vehicle Ioniq 5.

The newly introduced robo-taxi features Level 4 autonomous driving technology. This means the vehicle's automated system can perceive and make decisions while driving, and can handle emergencies without driver intervention. This is the first time an electric vehicle has been deployed in Lyft's service fleet.

Motional CEO Karl Iagnemma said, "This signals that we are on track to provide fully driverless service next year," adding, "Through our strategic partnership with Hyundai Motor Company, the Ioniq 5 has been optimized for driverless autonomous ride-hailing."

Customers who want to use the service open the door and get into the car via the Lyft application. The in-vehicle display is also linked to enable external support during the ride if necessary. The two companies began offering ride-hailing services integrated with autonomous driving in 2018. In the current service, a driver sits in the driver's seat to prepare for emergencies. Fully driverless service is planned to start next year. They are also considering expanding the service to other regions.

Lyft CEO Logan Green said, "This service demonstrates significant progress in realizing a shared future of electric and autonomous vehicles."