Hyundai Motor and Waymo have agreed to a multi-year strategic partnership that includes the self-driving company adding the South Korean automaker's Ioniq 5 electric vehicle to its robotaxi fleet.
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HyundaiMotor and Waymo have agreed to a multi-year strategic partnership that includes the self-driving company adding the South Korean automaker's Ioniq 5 electric vehicle to its robotaxi fleet.
The companies said Friday that Waymo's sixth-generation autonomous technology, known as Waymo Driver, will be integrated at a “significant volume over several years to support” the AlphabetThe company-backed company's growing robotaxi business.
It comes almost two months after Waymo revealed details about its new “generation 6” self-driving technology, which will be integrated into Geely Zeekr electric vehicles and should be able to handle a wider range of weather conditions without requiring as many cameras and sensors. expensive. aboard.
Waymo, which today has around 700 vehicles in its fleet, operates the only commercial robotaxi service in the US, Waymo One. It currently offers more than 100,000 paid robotaxi rides per week in the US.
The Ioniq 5 electric vehicles will be produced at Hyundai's upcoming “Metaplant America” in Georgia and will then be equipped with Waymo's self-driving technologies. The electric vehicles will be delivered to Waymo with specific autonomy-ready modifications, such as redundant hardware and power doors.
Initial road testing of the Waymo-compatible Ioniq 5s will begin in late 2025. They are expected to be available to Waymo One robotaxi users in the coming years, the companies said.
The companies declined to disclose the financial terms of the partnership, but confirmed that Waymo will purchase and own the vehicles.
Waymo has previously partnered with other auto brands such as Chrysler and Jaguar to produce and integrate their technologies into vehicles.
The Waymo-Ioniq 5 integration is the first stage of a partnership that could grow in the future, according to José Muñoz, Hyundai's chief operating officer and CEO of Hyundai Motor North America.
“The team at our new manufacturing facility is ready to allocate a significant number of vehicles to the Waymo One fleet as it continues to expand,” Muñoz said in a statement. “Importantly, this is the first step in the partnership between the two companies and we are actively exploring additional opportunities for collaboration.”
The Ioniq 5 is already being used by autonomous vehicle startup Motional, a joint venture between Hyundai and the auto supplier. Suitable. Hyundai said the partnership with Waymo “has no bearing” on Motional.
— CNBC's Jennifer Elias contributed to this report.
