Hyundai Partners with Avride to Launch Autonomous Ride-hailing Fleet
Hyundai Motor Company and autonomous technology firm Avride have announced a groundbreaking partnership to develop fully driverless cars for autonomous ride-hailing services. The collaboration aims to deploy 100 Hyundai Ioniq 5 SUVs equipped with Avride’s autonomous technology by the end of this year.
Avride, known for its experience in operating sidewalk delivery robots, is now setting its sights on launching a commercial robotaxi service. The company has been testing Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Sonata models in Austin and Seoul over the past year, with plans for significant fleet expansion before the commercial service launch.
The Hyundai Ioniq 5 vehicles will be assembled at the Hyundai Metaplant America factory in Georgia and integrated with Avride’s autonomous technology. Initial deployment is slated for Dallas as part of Avride’s agreement with Uber, which will exclusively feature these autonomous vehicles on its app.
Beyond ride-hailing, the partnership is exploring opportunities in delivery robots and smart mobility applications, potentially expanding its reach in the autonomous vehicle market.
Avride, a spin-off from Russian tech giant Yandex, has undergone significant changes following Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine. The company has since rebranded and divested from its Russian holdings, now headquartered in Austin, Texas.
The Ioniq 5 is not new to the autonomous vehicle scene, having been previously involved in self-driving initiatives with Waymo and serving as a platform for Hyundai’s robotaxi subsidiary, Motional. This latest partnership with Avride further solidifies the Ioniq 5’s position as a key player in the evolving autonomous vehicle market.
As the automotive industry continues to embrace autonomous technology, this collaboration between Hyundai and Avride marks a significant step towards the widespread adoption of driverless ride-hailing services.
