Hyundai Motor and Waymo Form Strategic Partnership
Waymo Autonomous Taxi Test Drive by Late 2025
Hyundai Motor Company announced on the 4th that it has formed a strategic partnership with autonomous driving company Waymo.
Waymo, a subsidiary of Alphabet, Google's parent company, has been researching and developing autonomous driving technology for a long time and is considered a global leader in the field. Hyundai Motor Company has also been honing its own autonomous driving technology and recently secured a strong customer base while promoting autonomous driving foundry (contract manufacturing) as part of its new business. Hyundai has established a joint venture called Motional with the U.S. autonomous driving company Aptiv to advance the local robotaxi business.
Rendering image of Ioniq 5 vehicle to be supplied to Waymo in the future[Photo by Hyundai Motor Group]
Under this agreement, Waymo's 6th generation full autonomous driving technology, 'Waymo Driver,' will be applied to Hyundai's Ioniq 5. The two companies said they plan to deploy these vehicles in the autonomous taxi service 'Waymo One' and operate them.
The Ioniq 5 supplied to Waymo will be manufactured at Hyundai Motor Group's new electric vehicle-dedicated plant in Georgia, USA, called Meta Plant America (HMGMA). Hyundai stated, "We will reliably supply vehicles to support the growth of the 'Waymo One' service."
The two companies plan to conduct initial road tests of Ioniq 5 vehicles equipped with the Waymo Driver starting late next year. They set a goal to enable Waymo One service users to use the service within a few years. The Ioniq 5 is Hyundai's first electric vehicle built on a dedicated platform, and it will be equipped with autonomous driving specialized features such as hardware redundancy and power-operated doors according to the customer's order this time.
A Waymo Jaguar electric vehicle charging at a charging station in Los Angeles, California, USA [Photo by Yonhap News, AFP]
Jose Munoz, Hyundai Motor's Global Chief Operating Officer (President), said, "Both companies share a vision to improve the safety, efficiency, and convenience of human mobility," adding, "The Ioniq 5 is an ideal vehicle for implementing Waymo's innovative technology to improve road safety."
He continued, "We are ready to produce a significant number of vehicles in a timely manner at the new manufacturing facility, HMGMA, in line with the expansion of the 'Waymo One' service," and added, "Starting with this agreement, we will actively seek additional collaboration opportunities."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
