According to Reuters, on October 4, Waymo, the autonomous driving subsidiary of Alphabet, and South Korean automaker Hyundai announced that as Waymo continues to expand in the U.S., it will incorporate Hyundai's electric vehicle models into its self-driving taxi fleet.
Waymo and Hyundai stated that the Hyundai IONIQ 5 SUV, equipped with Waymo's autonomous driving technology, will be assembled at Hyundai's factory in Georgia, with road testing set to begin by the end of 2025.
Waymo's current autonomous fleet utilizes the Jaguar I-PACE models from Tata Motors of India. Additionally, Waymo is testing its autonomous driving technology with vehicles from Zeekr, an electric vehicle brand under China's Geely Automotive Group. A Waymo spokesperson indicated that the collaboration with Hyundai will not directly replace any of Waymo's current vehicle platforms.
Waymo is the only company in the U.S. operating a paid autonomous taxi service, with a fleet of approximately 700 vehicles. This year, Waymo opened its self-driving taxi service to all consumers in San Francisco and is continuously expanding its operational area in Phoenix, Arizona. Furthermore, Waymo has also extended its service range to parts of the San Francisco Peninsula and Los Angeles.
In August of this year, Waymo reported that as the company expanded its service area and allowed more people to ride in its autonomous taxis, its paid rides doubled in just over three months, reaching 100,000 per week.
Despite the widespread skepticism, strict regulatory scrutiny, and federal investigations facing autonomous vehicle technology, Alphabet has announced plans to invest $5 billion in Waymo over several years.
Other companies competing in the autonomous taxi space include Cruise, the self-driving subsidiary of General Motors. Last year, Cruise experienced a major traffic accident and is currently seeking ways to return its vehicles to U.S. roads, equipping them with safety drivers. Meanwhile, Amazon-owned Zoox is testing its driverless vehicles that lack steering wheels and pedals.
