Hyundai launches robotaxi trial with its own autonomous-vehicle (AV) tech

Hyundai is trialing a rideshare service in one of Seoul’s busiest districts with two electric Ioniq 5s that feature in-house developed self-driving technology.

The RoboRide pilot will be the first rideshare service with autonomous vehicles (AVs) to take place in Gangnam – the fashionable, but heavily congested area made famous by the 2012 global pop hit Gangnam Style – and the Ioniq 5s used will have Level 4 capability, as defined by the Society of Automotive Engineers.

That means the cars can take complete control of the driving with no human interaction necessary, although a safety driver will be present at all times. However, according to Hyundai, they will only “intervene under limited conditions.”

The automaker has been granted a temporary autonomous driving operation permit from South Korea’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport to enable the pilot, and has teamed with Jin Mobility, a local startup that operates a car-hailing platform called i.M., which will operate the service.

Hyundai has been active in the robotaxi sphere for some time and earlier this year confirmed it planned to roll out Level 4 self-driving Ioniq 5s in Las Vegas in 2023. But those cars are being produced in tandem with Motional, a Boston-based company that is providing the autonomous tech expertise and actually assembling the vehicle.

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