The Hyundai Ioniq 5 becomes an autonomous taxi

In Las Vegas, Uber customers will soon be able to travel in autonomous Hyundai Ioniq 5s.

Uber will integrate new autonomous vehicles into its platform. The cars — Hyundai Ioniq 5s equipped with sensors — are supplied by Motional, a company founded by Hyundai and the American company Aptiv. They will operate in the United States, in the city of Las Vegas. To have a chance of getting one, interested customers will need to select the UberX or Uber Comfort Electric option.

Initially, operators will be present at the front of the vehicles and ready to intervene if needed. Nevertheless, Motional and Uber believe they will be able to operate without drivers as early as 2023.

Earlier this year, Uber and Motional already tested autonomous Ioniq 5s in Los Angeles, but under a slightly different setup. The vehicles were assigned to Uber Eats meal delivery services. According to the two partners, the experiment went smoothly and demonstrated the relevance of autonomous vehicles for this type of operation.

More autonomous taxis in the coming years

Motional and Uber have formed a multi-year partnership. Both companies are ambitious about the future and have already planned to launch autonomous taxis in Los Angeles. Other cities will follow, not necessarily in the United States. Meanwhile, Motional is also working with the operator Lyft, which is similarly integrating driverless Ioniq 5s into its platform. Once again, these trials are taking place in Las Vegas and Los Angeles.

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