Uber Launches Motional Robotaxis in Las Vegas
▼ Summary
– Uber has integrated Motional’s autonomous Ioniq 5 vehicles into its Las Vegas network, offering rides in five specific areas with a safety monitor currently present.
– The service operates at designated locations including Resorts World, Encore, Westgate, Town Square, and Downtown Las Vegas, with plans to expand the operating area.
– Customers cannot specifically request a robotaxi but can increase their chance by enabling autonomous vehicle pickup in the Uber app, with a fully driverless service expected by year’s end.
– Motional, a Hyundai joint venture, faced significant trouble two years ago, leading to a $1 billion investment from Hyundai, a 40% workforce reduction, and a technological pivot toward neural networks.
– For Uber, Motional is one of over 25 global autonomous vehicle partners, with recent deals also adding Wayve-powered vehicles in Tokyo and Zoox robotaxis in Las Vegas.
Uber riders in Las Vegas can now hail a self-driving car through the app, marking a significant expansion of the company’s autonomous vehicle network. The service, powered by Hyundai-owned Motional, uses the all-electric Ioniq 5 and is currently available for pickups and drop-offs in five key areas. For now, a human safety monitor will be present in the vehicle. The designated zones include rideshare areas at the Resorts World and Encore hotels on the Strip, the Westgate near the Las Vegas Convention Center, the Town Square shopping center by the airport, and curbside locations in Downtown Las Vegas.
The partnership represents a crucial step forward for Motional, which faced substantial challenges just two years ago. Originally a joint venture between Hyundai and Aptiv, the company fell behind its goals for launching a competing service with Lyft. When Aptiv withdrew its funding, Hyundai faced a critical decision. The automaker chose to invest an additional $1 billion into Motional, financing a major corporate restructuring and a strategic shift in its technology development.
This pivot involved moving toward a neural network-based approach for its self-driving system. Motional’s leadership concluded that while they had a safe driverless platform, a new technological foundation was required to create a solution that could be both affordable and scalable worldwide. This realization led to a difficult period where commercial activities were paused and the workforce was reduced by roughly 40% to focus on long-term development.
The launch in Las Vegas is the first public fruit of that rebuilding effort. Uber users increase their chance of being matched with a Motional robotaxi by enabling the autonomous vehicle pickup option within the app’s settings. The companies have stated their intention to expand the service area and aim to operate a fully driverless service in the city by the end of this year, removing the safety monitor from the vehicle.
For Uber, this is one piece of a much larger global strategy. The ride-hailing platform has been actively forming partnerships with over two dozen autonomous vehicle companies worldwide. Just this week, Uber announced plans to integrate self-driving Nissan Leaf vehicles in Tokyo using technology from Wayve, and to add Zoox robotaxis to its Las Vegas app later in the year. These moves underscore Uber’s commitment to building a diverse network of autonomous options for its customers.
(Source: TechCrunch)
