HMG and Motional Bring Certified Robotaxis to the U.S.
The Kia Corporation has been very busy with its development of battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) as of late. We’ve seen plenty of new models and concepts come to light, such as the Kia EV6, Kia EV9, Kia EV5, and Kia EV4 and EV3 concepts. It’s all a part of the Plan S Strategy to take over the world of BEVs, but what about purpose-built vehicles (PBVs)? Plan S was a two-path business plan, and the automaker didn’t invest in the E-FOREST PBV production facility for nothing. Back in 2020, the Hyundai Motor Group (HMG; parent group of Kia) announced the Hyundai Motor Group Innovation Center in Singapore (HMGICS) for future mobility research and development. Three years later, and the HMGICS is furthering the automotive group’s robotaxi endeavors with the first production-ready IONIQ 5 robotaxi.
“HMGICS stands as Hyundai Motor Group’s first global innovation hub and global test bed for future mobility. Our mission at HMGICS is to revolutionize the mobility value chain by developing and producing advanced and diverse forms of future mobility solutions. Commencing production of the IONIQ 5 robotaxi in collaboration with Motional, we are committed to a continuous journey of innovation, aiming to spearhead the paradigm shift in the future of mobility.” – Hong Bum Jung, CEO of HMGICS
The new robotaxi will be deployed as a part of Motional’s commercial services in the U.S. Yes, that’s right, the U.S. will soon be filled with robotaxis. Well, maybe not everyone, but in 2024, the streets will have more cars with no driver behind the wheel going around town. Don’t worry, Uber/Lyft drivers, this won’t put anyone out of business just yet. Motional is an American autonomous vehicle company, and we assume “commercial services” means companies that need fleets of vehicles on the road at all times, like delivery trucks or cars that don’t require a whole lot of intervention. So, DoorDash drivers may want to look for other opportunities in the coming years.
Robotaxis aren’t an incredibly new concept for HMG and Kia. The IONIQ 5 robotaxis may be the first commercial vehicle in the U.S., but does anyone remember the Niro Plus? Earlier this year, the Kia Corp announced a new collaboration with Kakao Mobility, South Korea’s leading mobility as a service (MaaS) platform service company. Together, the two companies would develop specialized services for Kia PBVs, and had a major project in development. Called the Niro Plus, it was a dedicated PBV that was designed to come with two versions of the product. The first was a general version of the Niro Plus for private owners that could in fact be used for a car-hailing service – kind of like a limo service or taxi service for business and recreational purposes. The other was the Niro Plus taxi model, but only available to Korean taxi operators.
The IONIQ 5 robotaxi is its own thing, and one of the first SAE Level 4 autonomous vehicles (AVs) to be certified under the U.S. Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS). Now, that’s a great accomplishment for any company working on autonomous vehicles. It’s another step in personal mobility and making sure anyone anywhere can get a private chauffeur to drive them to their destination when the price of a driver isn’t a part of the equation. Personal drivers can be pretty expensive.
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