Mobility company Lyft and Motional, a developer of driverless technology, have launched Motional’s new all-electric Hyundai Ioniq 5-based robotaxi, an autonomous vehicle (AV) designed for fully driverless ride-hail operation, on the Lyft network in Las Vegas.
The launch is the next milestone in the lead-up to Motional and Lyft’s fully driverless service, which is planned to commence in 2023 before scaling to multiple US cities. This marks the first-time members of the public have been able to experience Motional’s electric AV.
“Motional and Lyft have a clear path to widespread commercialization of Level 4 autonomous vehicles,” said Karl Iagnemma, Motional’s president and CEO. “We’ve led the industry in commercial operations for years, and today’s launch signals we’re on track to deliver a fully driverless service next year. Riders in Las Vegas can now experience Motional’s Ioniq 5 AV that will make that service a reality. Through our strategic partnership with Hyundai, the Ioniq 5 AV is fully customized for driverless ride-hail operation, while maintaining the vehicle’s award-winning comfort and design.”
“Launching Motional’s all-electric Ioniq 5 on Lyft’s network in Las Vegas represents tremendous progress in our vision to make an electric, autonomous and shared future a reality for people everywhere,” added Logan Green, Lyft’s CEO and co-founder. “Building an experience that Lyft riders love is core to advancing this technology, and today’s launch provides riders access to Motional’s autonomous technology in a way that will feel seamless, familiar and personalized, all on a network they already trust. We are designing an autonomous experience where the only expectation for riders is to relax and enjoy the ride.”
