Waymo Picks The Hyundai Ioniq 5 For New RoboTaxi

A strategic alliance has been announced by the Korean automaker Hyundai and the American startup Waymo. During the initial phase of this collaboration, Waymo will equip the Ioniq 5 electric vehicle with a sixth-generation autonomous driving system.
For the record, Waymo had previously intended to use Chinese electric cars Zeekr, but the automaker decided to forgo them because of the new US policy. The EV, which is now made in America is scheduled to go into commercial use in "the following years," with initial testing starting at the end of 2025.

Additionally, Waymo and Hyundai plan to start manufacturing driverless cars in "significant volumes within a few years." According to the companies, the Ioniq 5 will have "autonomous driving-ready modifications, such as electric doors and backup equipment." One of the most crucial robotaxis metrics is uptime, or the duration of time the vehicle is used to transport passengers. Time spent using a charger is time that could be spent earning money. With an 800-volt architecture that speeds up charging, the Ioniq 5 is an electric crossover SUV with a range of just over 300 miles.

Hyundai claims that under the right circumstances, the Ioniq 5 can charge from 10 to 80 percent capacity in just eighteen minutes when connected to a 350kW fast charger. Waymo undoubtedly considered those charging speeds to be advantageous for its still-unprofitable company. Since the company's first robotaxi, the Chrysler Pacifica minivan, was retired in 2013, Waymo has been using a fleet of hundreds of Jaguar I-Pace vehicles as its primary vehicle.

Remarkably, unlike its previous approach to car announcements, Waymo is keeping the number of Ioniq 5s it intends to purchase from Hyundai a secret. This may have something to do with Waymo being more wary of overly optimistic forecasts following criticism from the AV industry for its impractical deadlines.