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Hyundai Ioniq 5 Robotaxi Service Launching in Las Vegas in Late 2023, L.A. Is Next

Autonomous driving is a buzzword in the automotive industry, and everyone wants a piece of the lucrative robotaxi business. Motional, the joint venture between Hyundai and Aptiv, intends to make robotaxis a reality in late 2023. Based in Boston, the autonomous vehicle company will roll out Ioniq 5-based autonomous vehicles in the Las Vegas area.
Hyundai Ioniq 5 Robotaxi 44 photos
Photo: Hyundai
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Why did Motional choose Sin City? Because it’s home to the Consumer Electronics Show, the most influential technology event in the world. Las Vegas also happens to be a tourist hot spot, attracting up to 42.5 million visitors annually, based on pre-pandemic estimates. Given the high demand for transient transportation, robotaxis and Sin City are a perfect match.

How did Motional convert the Ioniq 5 into a driverless vehicle? More than 30 advanced sensors open the list of modifications, together with a computing system with pretty clever software built in. The software in question is designed for safe navigation in an unusual environment populated by oddly-shaped vehicles. Think billboard trucks and limos.

The Ioniq 5-based robotaxi can also identify pedestrians in unusual costumes acting in an unpredictable manner. Described as “a mobility solution with humanity inside – not just without a human driver,” the robotaxi service will be introduced to the Los Angeles area sometime in 2024. Motional intends to add more locations after that, both in and outside the United States.

Robotaxis are currently learning how to master the curvy and narrow streets of Boston, navigate the protected bicycle lanes and street-level light rail service of San Diego, and manage left-side traffic in Singapore, a country that drives on the wrong side of the road due to British influences. The Brits pulled out in 1971, six years after Singapore separated from Malaysia.

In production since 2021 for the 2022 model year, the Ioniq 5 is a jacked-up hatchback posing as a crossover. Although it doesn’t feature a rear wiper, Hyundai can’t build this car fast enough to satisfy demand. Based on the E-GMP vehicle architecture of the Kia EV6 and Genesis GV60, the compact-sized utility vehicle is the MotorTrend SUV of the Year 2023.

Currently priced at $41,450 plus destination charge, Ioniq 5 offers up to 320 horsepower from the dual-motor option and up to 303 miles (488 kilometers) of driving range from the rear-drive variant with the larger battery option. The SE Standard Range promises 168 rear-drive ponies.

Stepping up to the SE with the larger battery option improves peak output to 225 horsepower for the rear-drive variant. At the other end of the spectrum, the Limited comes with all the bells and whistles imaginable at $52,600 sans freight. There is, however, one thing missing from the U.S.-spec Ioniq 5, that thing being cameras instead of traditional side mirrors.

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Editor's note: Series-production Ioniq 5 pictured in the gallery.

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About the author: Mircea Panait
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After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well.
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