Great Scott, Hyundai Ioniq 5 Robotaxi Wants To Takes Us Back To The Future

Motional took to the Munich Motor Show to give its next-generation Robotaxi based on the new Hyundai Ioniq 5 its world premiere. We’ve updated this story with live images of the car from the show.

Set to begin transporting passengers in 2023 through Lyft, the Ioniq 5 Robotaxi is an SAE Level 4 autonomous vehicle, which will mean that it can operate fully autonomously in certain circumstances and maintains controls that can be operated by a human.

Read: 2021 Munich Motor Show A-Z Debut Roundup

With more than 30 sensors, a combination of cameras, radar, and LiDAR, the Ioniq 5 Robotaxi is designed to have externally visible sensors to make it clear to other road users that it’s an autonomous vehicle. That sensor data will be fed into Motional’s driverless technology, which utilizes machine learning to enable the vehicle to navigate tricky driving situations.

Inside, meanwhile, the Ioniq 5 Robotaxi will have a suite of rider-focused interfaces to make interacting with the vehicle easier. Through it, riders will be able to request an extra stop and make other such requests.

Motional worked with Hyundai throughout the design process to ensure that its technology was fully integrated into the Ioniq 5’s platform.

“For the Ioniq 5-based robotaxi, we have applied various redundancy systems, in addition to a suite of essential technologies to ensure safety and convenience of the passengers,” said Woongjun Jang, head of the Autonomous Driving Center at Hyundai Motor Group. “By successfully integrating the Group’s Ioniq 5 Robotaxi with Motional’s autonomous driving technology, we are proud to announce that we have achieved another important milestone on the road to the commercialization of our robotaxi.”

The collaboration not only means that the Ioniq 5 Robotaxi will be reliable, it means it will also be cheaper to manufacture, which should allow Motional to expand its services faster, once it’s ready to do so.

With redundancies for every important function (including braking, accelerating, steering, and navigation), Motional and Hyundai claim the vehicle has safety built-in. Remote vehicle assistance will also allow an operator to control the robotaxi from outside the vehicle in case it comes up against an unexpected or unusual scenario.

“This robotaxi represents Motional’s vision of a driverless future becoming a reality,” said Motional President and CEO Karl Iagnemma. “Through our strategic partnership with Hyundai Motor Group and Aptiv, we have unparalleled automotive and software expertise across our entire vehicle development process.”