(RTTNews) - Ride-hailing service Uber, Inc. (UBER) and autonomous vehicle company Motional announced Wednesday the launch of their public robotaxi service in Las Vegas, NV. For the first time ever, Uber customers are able to hail an autonomous ride using Motional's all-electric Hyundai IONIQ 5-based robotaxis.
Motional and Uber are launching with vehicle operators now to lay the groundwork for a fully driverless commercial service, with the goal of launching the driverless service to the public in 2023.
Motional was founded in March 2020 as a joint venture between automaker Hyundai Motor Group and auto supplier Aptiv.
This service is the first in Motional and Uber's 10-year commercial partnership that will see Motional's Level 4 autonomous vehicles (AVs) deployed for ride-hail and deliveries on the Uber network in major cities across the U.S.
The public robotaxi service will first launch in Las Vegas before expanding at a later date to Los Angeles, CA.
