A new robo-taxi service has officially launched in Las Vegas and is free for public use. The service, run by Lyft and Motional’s self-driving car companies, is a prelude to a fully driverless service that will launch in the city in 2023.
Motional, a joint venture between Hyundai Motor and Aptiv, has been testing its self-driving vehicles in Las Vegas for more than four years through a partnership with Lyft, taking more than 100,000 passenger trips.
The service, announced by the companies on Aug. 16, marks the first time customers can order a ride using the company’s autonomous all-electric Hyundai Ioniq 5 car, with a safety driver behind the wheel to assist in the journey. But Motional and Lyft say fully driverless vehicles will join the service next year.
Unlike other robo -taxi services in the U.S., Motional and Lyft do not require potential riders to sign up for waiting lists or sign non-disclosure agreements to join the beta program, and rides will be free, with the companies planning to start charging for the service next year.
Motional said it has secured a permit to conduct fully driverless testing “anywhere in Nevada.” The two companies said they would obtain the appropriate licenses to begin commercial passenger services in fully driverless vehicles before launching in 2023.
Customers riding in Motional’s self-driving vehicles will have access to a host of new features, for example, customers will be able to unlock their doors through the Lyft app. Once in the car, they’ll be able to start a ride or contact customer support via the new Lyft AV app on the in-car touchscreen. Motional and Lyft said the new features were based on extensive research and feedback from real passengers.
Motional was launched in March 2020 when Hyundai said it would spend $1.6 billion to catch up with its rivals in self-driving cars, in which Aptiv owns a 50% stake. The company currently has test facilities in Las Vegas, Singapore and Seoul, while also testing its vehicles in Boston and Pittsburgh.
Currently, only a small fraction of driverless vehicle operators have actually deployed fully unmanned vehicles, also known as Level 4 autonomous vehicles, on public roads. Waymo, the self-driving unit of Google parent Alphabet, has operated its Level 4 vehicles in suburban Phoenix, Arizona, for several years and is seeking permission to do so in San Francisco. Cruise, a majority-owned subsidiary of General Motors, provides commercial service in self-driving cars in San Francisco, but only at night.
Post time: Aug-17-2022