Autonomous Hyundai Ioniq 5 Joining Waymo Fleet With Unique Robotic Feature
The Hyundai Ioniq 5 is one of the top-selling electric vehicles in the U.S. and great to drive, but soon some of them will be driving themselves.
Waymo will be adding the Ioniq 5 to its fleet of autonomous ride-hailing vehicles, which currently operates modified Chrysler Pacifica Plug-In Hybrid minivans and Jaguar I-Pace electric SUVs in Phoenix and San Francisco.
The Ioniq 5s will be built at Hyundai’s new factory in Georgia, which is where all of the 2025 models, except for the high performance Ioniq 5 N, will be manufactured for U.S. sale.
The vehicles destined for Waymo will have several modifications, including some redundant hardware for the autonomous driving systems and robotic power passenger doors for ease of entry and exit.
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The Pacificas have power sliding doors, but the swing-out doors on the I-Paces are manual. The retail Ioniq 5 doesn’t offer this feature, which can only be found on a handful of luxury vehicles and will be available on the 2025 Cadillac Escalade’s highest trim.
The so-called Waymo Driver is enabled by an array of lidar, radar and cameras that are mounted on the roof and four corners of the vehicle. The vehicles still have steering wheels as required by law, but there are no backup human drivers on board.
Hyundai said the Ioniq 5’s fast charging, which can fill the battery to 80% in just 18 minutes, and its 303-mile range make it particularly suitable for long work shifts and quick turnaround times.
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The news comes just days before Tesla is scheduled to unveil its Robotaxi on Oct. 10. Tesla has said it plans to deploy it through its own ride-hailing service, but hasn’t yet offered a clear timeframe for when it will launch.
What little information has dribbled out about the vehicle suggest that it is a small, aerodynamic two-seater with luggage space. The reveal event is taking place on the Warner Bros. lot in Burbank, Calif., where a camouflaged Robotaxi has been spotted undergoing testing on the facility’s roads.
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