Uber has entered into a 10-year agreement for autonomous Ioniq 5 Electric Vehicles (EVs) from Hyundai. MotionalCompanies announced they would be providing ride-hailing and delivery services. These vehicles will be strategically deployed in US cities and offer passenger rides.
Motional CEO Karl Iagnemma said that this agreement will help to spread robotaxis adoption. “Motional now boasts unprecedented access to millions and a roadmap for scaling significantly over the next 10 years.”
These companies already work together. Uber launched late last year. AnnouncementIt would be testing autonomous food delivery with Motional, a joint venture between Hyundai & Aptiv, sometime in 2022. Motional also works with Lyft. Lyft started public tests in 2012. Las Vegas Los AngelesBack in August, the ride-hailing company was founded. (Uber had its own autonomous vehicle division, called Advanced Technologies Group. Aurora Innovation purchased it(Back in 2020.
Uber will provide data to Motional in order to assist it in locating and allocating vehicles. Motional stated that autonomous vehicles will reduce vehicle downtime and avoid unnecessary miles. The autonomous vehicles will also be able to provide a better customer experience with shorter wait times and lower fares.
Similar promises were made in the past, but they have not been fulfilled. Alphabet division Waymo GM CruiseThese companies offer true driverless services on an extremely large scale. Waymo One currently operates in Phoenix and San Francisco. Cruise ride services are limited to San Francisco. Both are limited to certain areas, and some vehicles still use safety rider technology.
Motional was a slower start than those two companies, but it has successfully completed more than 100,000 autonomous rides through Las Vegas using older versions of its Lyft vehicles. August. The companies intend to increase that number soon. “The scope of this partnership shows the important role that shared autonomous vehicles will play in the future of transportation, and in Uber’s strategy to be the global platform to help you go anywhere and get anything,” said Uber’s autonomous driving chief Noah Zych.
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