The 2023 Consumer Electronics Show started on January 5, and many automakers attended. Ahead of the official start of the event, Hyundai highlighted the Ioniq 5 robotaxi, which is planned to be operational in Las Vegas at the end of 2023.
The video (embedded above) shows why the robotaxi Ioniq 5 launched in Vegas first. The city has a complicated rush hour traffic pattern where cars dart in and out of lanes on the Strip. Plus, there are tons of oddly shaped vehicles like stretch limousines and billboard trucks.
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Picking up and dropping off riders at the casino is another challenge. There are many vehicles rushing into the confined space. The Ioniq 5 robotaxis must maneuver its way into this area without hitting anything or anyone.
Pedestrians are also difficult to feel in Vegas because people can dress up as street performers. Robotaxis must identify and avoid them.
Robotaxis Ioniq 5 has Level 4 autonomous function. This means that the vehicle can drive itself, but there are still physical controls that can be operated by the driver. The car carries more than 30 sensors and computing power to intercept all data.
Motional Corporation, a joint venture between Hyundai Motor Group and Aptiv, will operate the Ioniq 5 autonomous vehicle that transports people around cities. Uber will also be part of the project to be platform for people to call these vehicles.
After launching in Vegas, Motional plans to launch the robotaxis Ioniq 5 in Los Angeles. Then, the service will be rolled out to other cities.
Several car manufacturers are interested in offering robotaxis. For example, General Motors Cruises received authorization to operate such a service in San Francisco last year. Waymo has already put that to work, including developing autonomous vans from Chinese brand Zeekr. Volkswagen has evaluated a self-driving version of the Buzz. Tesla announced plans for offer such a servicealso.
