Motional, the autonomous driving joint venture of Hyundai Motor Group (005380), announced on the 15th that it will launch a robotaxi pilot service with Uber in the United States city of Las Vegas.
The operating area includes designated hotels along Las Vegas Boulevard, the Downtown district and the Town Square commercial area.
If a route requested by a customer through the Uber application falls within the designated service zone, a Motional Ioniq 5 robotaxi will be automatically dispatched.
Customers assigned a robotaxi can ride the vehicle at the same price as a standard ride-hailing service without additional charges, or request reassignment to a conventional vehicle.
When the robotaxi arrives, passengers can unlock the vehicle door and board through the Uber app. Once passengers enter the vehicle, voice guidance provides a welcome message and safety belt instructions.
Passengers who need assistance during the trip can connect with a support representative at any time through the Uber app. Customers who prefer robotaxis can also select the robotaxi “Ride Preferences” option through the Uber app settings.
Motional and Uber signed a strategic partnership in 2022 and have focused on accelerating the commercialization of autonomous driving by combining self-driving technology with Uber’s network of millions of users.
Earlier in 2022, the companies operated a pilot delivery service with Uber Eats in the United States city of Los Angeles, and later conducted a ride-hailing pilot program in Las Vegas at the end of the year.
Motional and Uber said safety is their top priority in operating autonomous vehicles, and Motional robotaxis meet all safety standards required by Uber.
Motional’s Ioniq 5 robotaxi is an SAE Level 4 autonomous vehicle certified under U.S. Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS).
During the pilot phase of the service, a safety operator will sit in the driver’s seat to ensure safe operation.
Motional plans to gather user feedback during the pilot stage and incorporate it into service improvements, with the goal of launching a fully driverless robotaxi service later this year.
David Carroll, vice president of commercialization at Motional, said the company is ready to work with Uber again based on its accumulated driving experience.
“With artificial intelligence-based autonomous driving technology, Motional can safely and smoothly navigate the various routes requested by Uber users,” he said.