Waymo will add the IONIQ 5 from Hyundai to its fleet of autonomous vehicles

Waymo, Alphabet’s autonomous taxi company, has decided to incorporate the Hyundai IONIQ 5 into its vehicle fleet. This decision is the result of a new alliance with Hyundai Motor Company, which will allow Waymo to obtain these vehicles directly from the South Korean manufacturer’s production plant located in the state of Georgia. All of these vehicles will therefore be produced in the United States.

The first IONIQ 5 units equipped with Waymo’s autonomous driving technology will begin their road tests at the end of 2025, and are expected to be available to customers in 2026. Hyundai will adapt these vehicles by carrying out some specific modifications requested by Waymo, which affect the range and also the vehicle’s hardware, such as the integration of electrically opening doors. Once these modifications have been made and the vehicles have left the assembly line, they will be equipped with Waymo’s sixth-generation hardware and software system.

Waymo’s autonomous driving system consists of 13 cameras, 6 radars, 4 LiDAR sensors and several audio receivers, providing the vehicle with a 360-degree view to detect objects at a distance of up to 500 meters. The new generation of Waymo’s autonomous driving system stands out for improving its performance in adverse weather conditions, thanks to modular components that can be adjusted to cope with snow or fog.

The IONIQ 5 was not chosen at random by Waymo

The great advantage the IONIQ 5 offers Waymo is that, unlike the vehicle developed by Zeekr for this same purpose, which will be assembled in China and then equipped with Waymo’s technology in the United States, the IONIQ 5 avoids potential problems with tariffs as a result of the trade war between the United States and China, which may also lead to the imposition of restrictions on software of Chinese origin.

Currently, Waymo offers driverless taxi services in Phoenix, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Austin using the Jaguar I-Pace, an electric vehicle that will soon cease production. The alliance between Waymo and Hyundai is a future-oriented alternative, since the IONIQ 5 units used by Waymo will also be produced in the United States.

Technical specifications of this car

CrossoverHyundai IONIQ 58 versions · from 44,670 €