IONIQ 5 set for fully driverless public taxi service

The IONIQ 5 robotaxi, based on Hyundai Motor Co.'s all-electric crossover, will launch its first fully driverless service for public passengers later this year, said the chief executive of Motional Inc., a joint venture between Hyundai and Aptiv PLC.

The robotaxi service with Level 4 self-driving capabilities will first be offered in Las Vegas.

At Level 4, a vehicle can drive itself under limited conditions and does not require safety operators in the front seat. It is just shy of Level 5, which enables fully automated driving.

“This is the year when Motional’s IONIQ 5 robotaxi goes fully driverless,” Motional CEO Karl Lagnemma told The Korea Economic Daily in a recent written interview.

Motional is a $4 billion, 50:50 joint venture between Hyundai Motor Co. and the US mobility startup Aptiv PLC. It was established in 2020.

Lagnemma distinguished IONIQ 5 robotaxi from Tesla Inc.’s vehicles with advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS), which require drivers to be fully attentive with hands on the wheel and to be prepared to take over at any moment.

“Consumer vehicles with advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS), such as Tesla, are very different from the Level 4 autonomous vehicles which we’re developing ... Motional’s Level 4 robotaxis are built to safely operate without a driver.”

Motional has been offering a pilot robotaxi service with Hyundai’s IONIQ 5 on public roads in Las Vegas since 2018. But its robotaxis in the city use safety operators in the front seat.

Its fully driverless public service will be operated in a limited area with a small number of vehicles. It will then expand the operating area and vehicle volume over the coming month.

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Lagnemma said the IONIQ 5 robotaxi has a low entry barrier and competitive advantages over its rival driverless service providers.

It has been deploying its robotaxis on Uber and Lyft apps, which represent 99% of the US ride-hail market.

However, there are some hurdles to overcome for its wider adoption.

Along with safety concerns and high manufacturing costs, technologies have not yet caught up to the needs of autonomous driving vehicles.

The US-based Cruise launched a commercial driverless robotaxi service for general passengers in San Francisco.

Chinese tech company Baidu has just begun to offer fully driverless robotaxi rides in three Chinese cities, including Wuhan and Chongqing.

“We’re currently focused on growing our services in the US before we look to expand to other major cities globally,” said Lagnemma. 

Write to Nan-Sae Bin and Il-Gyu Kim at binthere@hankyung.com

Yeonhee Kim edited this article.