Hey kids? Wanna play with the future of electro-robotic transport? You get to do it two years before Lyft
South Korean automaker Hyundai has unveiled its fully driverless electric IONIQ 5 Robotaxi. Developed in partnership with Motional, a joint venture between the automaker Hyundai Motor Group and auto parts company Aptiv, the car weirdly represents Hyundai partnering with itself. However, Motional is different – the company, founded in March 2020, focuses on the development and commercialization of autonomous vehicles. IONIQ 5 is Motional’s first commercially available vehicle. The robotaxi design is based on Hyundai’s electric compact crossover SUV of the same name, the Hyundai IONIQ 5, launched earlier this year. The robotaxi version is classified as a level-4 autonomous vehicle, meaning it can operate without a driver. However the vehicles come equipped with Remote Vehicle Assistance (RVA) which allows a remote Motional operator to take control if needed.
