Motional and Hyundai's Plans to Advance Electric Robotaxis

Hyundai has announced the release of a fully driverless robotaxi service in Las Vegas at the end of 2026, together with Motional, an autonomous driving venture.

Motional has developed an end-to-end autonomous driving system based on AI and machine learning.

Motional’s approach blends safety compliance with AI-driven software evolution ensuring that technology maturity is matched by operational readiness. 

Hyundai IONIQ 5 robotaxi

The all-electric IONIQ 5 robotaxi is produced at Hyundai Motor Group Innovation Centre in Singapore.

The robotaxi has more than 30 sensors, cameras, radars and lidar. These sensors provide robust 360-degree perception, high-resolution images and ultra-long range detection of objects for safe autonomous operation in diverse driving environments.

The robotaxi is an SAE Level 4 autonomous vehicle that can operate safely without a driver.

The IONIQ 5 robotaxi is built on the Group’s E-GMP, for ultra-fast charging and long-range driving.

Woongjun Jang, former Head of the Autonomous Driving Centre at Hyundai Motor Group and former Chief Strategy Officer at Motional, says: “Hyundai Motor has evolved its IONIQ 5, a battery electric vehicle built on its EV-dedicated platform, into a platform for fully autonomous vehicles. 

“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. 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 commercialisation of our robotaxi.”

Motional’s autonomous driving

Motional formed in 2020, as a joint venture between Aptiv and Hyundai. It was created to advance the development of autonomous driving.

Traditional autonomous stacks for autonomous driving separate perception, decision-making and control into multiple modules. 

Motional’s system is transitioning toward machine learning based end-to-end motion planning that integrates these steps into a single learned decision process.

This setup enables the system to learn and output natural driving behaviours, which moves the cars towards more adaptable driving. 

The new technology has been through a phased validation program which includes large-scale simulation of diverse scenarios, testing in closed environments and measured expansion on public roads. 

Laura Major, CEO of Motional, says: “Motional does not place safety behind technological progress.

“We remain focused on accelerating our ability to scale the technology and operations in a sustainable way, from development through the commercialisation stage.”

Las Vegas release

Beginning at the end of 2026, the service, in collaboration with Uber, will allow users in Las Vegas to be matched with an all-electric Motional IONIQ 5 robotaxi.

Sarfraz Maredia, President of Autonomous Mobility & Delivery at Uber, says: “We’re excited to take the next step with Motional as we launch autonomous rides in Las Vegas.

“This milestone reflects our shared commitment to introduce autonomous vehicles in a way that prioritises safety, increases reliability, and expands access to more ride options for our customers.”