Motional and Lyft plan to launch a fully driverless public ride-hailing service in Las Vegas starting in 2023.
Motional has been operating a self-driving service with Lyft in Las Vegas for over three years but this will be the first time the service has offered fully driverless robotaxis that are based on the all-electric Hyundai Ioniq 5.
“Motional and Lyft pioneered collaboration between the ride-hail and driverless industries, and are now laying the foundation for large-scale deployments of driverless robotaxis,” Motional president and chief executive Karl Iagnemma said in a statement. “We look forward to beginning this next chapter in Las Vegas, and then quickly scaling to other markets across the Lyft network.”
Read More: U Spy The Hyundai Ioniq 5 Robotaxi Being Tested At The Las Vegas Airport
As the two companies prepare for the commercial launch in 2023, they will start transporting passengers in Ioniq 5 robotaxis during the second half of 2022. Riders will experience a fully-autonomous ride during this initial phase, including entering the vehicle, starting their ride, and requesting support. Motional and Lyft will then use rider feedback to refine the experience.
“Lyft’s powerful network is the ideal platform for deploying autonomous vehicles at scale. Motional’s driverless tech, combined with Lyft’s marketplace engine, brings us firmly into the self-driving future,” added Lyft co-founder and chief executive Logan Green. “We can’t wait for riders in Las Vegas to be the first to summon fully driverless cars on the Lyft platform.”
The Hyundai Ioniq 5 robotaxi that will be used by Motional and Lyft has 30 sensors, including cameras, radar, and a LiDAR. While current prototypes being tested have drivers behind the wheel, Motional’s plan is to remove the driver completely and use remote vehicle assistance as a safety redundancy, allowing a remote operator to control the robotaxi whenever necessary.
