American autonomous vehicle company Motional has made its autonomous vehicles (AVs) available to the public on ride-hailing service Uber’s network for the first time, starting with trials in Las Vegas.
This launch follows the recent announcement by Motional of a 10-year framework agreement, which outlines a plan to create one of the largest deployments of AVs on a major ride-hail network, with the potential to reach millions of new riders through Uber’s customer base.
What’s more, the deployment of the robotaxi service comes after the launch of autonomous deliveries with Uber Eats across areas of Greater Los Angeles.
Motional will be making its new all-electric IONIQ 5 robotaxis available to customers using UberX and Uber Comfort Electric in select markets, which it says will help contribute to Uber’s 2030 zero emissions goal.
Motional and Uber now intend to lay the groundwork for a fully driverless commercial service, with the goal of launching further publicly available robotaxis in 2023.
“Today, Motional becomes the first AV company to conduct all-electric autonomous rides on the Uber network for public passengers,” said Akshay Jaising, vice president of commercialisation at Motional.
“It’s a testament to our technology and the power of our partnership with Uber that we’re able to go from concept to consumer in such a short time.
“Las Vegas is the first of many cities in which Motional’s AVs will become an everyday transportation option for Uber customers looking for a safe and convenient ride.”
These vehicles are the first to enter service as part of Motional and Uber’s 10-year commercial partnership, which will see Motional’s level 4 AVs deployed for ride-hail and deliveries on the Uber network in major US cities.
The public robotaxi service will first launch in Las Vegas, before expanding at a later date to Los Angeles, with this Las Vegas pilot coming several months after the finalisation of the pair’s multi-year agreement.
Moreover, after this launch, Motional claims to be the first AV company to conduct both deliveries and rides on a major network like Uber.
