Hyundai Motor Company has announced it has entered into a multi-year strategic partnership with US-based Waymo LLC, formerly Google’s self-driving car unit, to build a fleet of self-driving taxis for operation in the US.
The South Korean automaker confirmed that as part of this agreement the two companies will integrate Waymo’s sixth-generation fully autonomous driving technology, the Waymo Driver, into Hyundai’s battery-powered Ioniq 5 SUVs.
Hyundai said the Ioniq 5s for Waymo’s robotaxi fleet will be produced at the Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America in Georgia, which is scheduled to go into operation in the fourth quarter of 2024.
The vehicles will then be integrated with Waymo’s autonomous technology. Initial on-road tests are scheduled to begin by late 2025 before they will be put into commercial use “in significant volume over multiple years” in Waymo One fleet.
Hyundai confirmed the Ioniq 5 will be delivered to Waymo with specific autonomous-ready modifications including redundant hardware and power doors. They vehicles will allow for long driving shifts on a single charge, while the 800-volt fast-charging system will minimize down time.
Waymo’s co-CEO Tekedra Mawakana said in a statement “We are thrilled to partner with Hyundai as we further our mission to be the world’s most trusted driver. Hyundai’s focus on sustainability and strong electric vehicle roadmap makes them a great partner for us as we bring our fully autonomous service to more riders in more places.”
José Muñoz, CEO of Hyundai Motor North America, pointed out: “Hyundai and Waymo share a vision to improve the safety, efficiency and convenience of how people move. Waymo’s transformational technology is improving road safety where they operate and the Ioniq 5 is the ideal vehicle to scale this further. The team at our new manufacturing facility is ready to allocate a significant number of vehicles for the Waymo One fleet as it continues to expand. Importantly, this is the first step in the partnership between the two companies and we are actively exploring additional opportunities for collaboration.”
Chang Song, head of Hyundai Motor Group’s Advanced Vehicle Platform (AVP) Division, added: “We recently announced the launch of Hyundai Motor Company’s autonomous vehicle foundry business to provide global autonomous driving companies with vehicles capable of implementing SAE Level 4 or higher autonomous driving technology. There is no better partner for our first agreement in this initiative than industry-leader Waymo.”
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