Waymo has its sights set on its next robotaxi: the Hyundai Ioniq 5.
The Alphabet company announced that it is entering into a “multi-year, strategic” partnership with Hyundai Motor Group that will eventually see the Ioniq 5 join its robotaxi fleet.
But first, the Ioniq 5 must undergo a road test with Waymo's self-driving technology, which the company says will begin in late 2025. Waymo wouldn't specify when the Ioniq 5 would be used for passenger rides, other than to say it would be “years” later.
Vehicles for Waymo's fleet will be manufactured at Hyundai's $7.6 billion Metaplant plant in Georgia, construction of which is nearing completion. The companies have agreed to produce a range of Waymo-equipped electric Hyundais there “in significant quantities” over several years, Waymo said in its press release.
Waymo declined to say when the Ioniq 5 will be used for passenger rides
When it comes to robotaxis, one of the most important metrics is operating time, i.e. the time that they are on the road transporting passengers. The time you spend on the charger is time you don't make money. The Ioniq 5 is an electric crossover SUV with a range of just over 300 miles and an 800-volt architecture that increases charging speeds. Hyundai says when connected to a 350kW fast charger, the Ioniq 5 can charge from 10 to 80 percent in just 18 minutes, depending on conditions. Waymo certainly saw these charging speeds as a benefit to its still-unprofitable business.
The Ioniq 5 has received positive reviews and numerous awards since its release in late 2021. Today it is one of the best-selling electric vehicles on the market, with 30,000 sold in the US this year alone. Its popularity has helped Hyundai, along with its sister company Kia, overtake Ford and GM as the second-largest seller of electric vehicles in the United States, behind Tesla.
Currently, Waymo operates a fleet of hundreds of Jaguar I-Pace vehicles, which have been the company's primary robotaxi vehicle since the retirement of the company's first vehicle, the Chrysler Pacifica minivan, in 2013. The company plans to add a new vehicle from Geely Zeekr – although the Biden administration's recent move to quadruple tariffs on electric vehicles imported from China could complicate that.
The latest reports from South Korea preview today's partnership news and sources report Electronic times that the two companies met several times at Waymo's headquarters in California to discuss “contract manufacturing of robotaxis.” Sources also told the publication that Waymo is looking for a “replacement” for its Zeekr vehicles because of the costly new tariffs.
But Waymo pushed back against this report and reiterated its intention to use Zeekr at some point. “The IONIQ 5 will not directly replace any of our vehicle platforms, but it will help us prepare for additional scaling and growth opportunities,” Waymo spokesman Christopher Bonelli said in an email. Waymo is “working hard” to validate the sixth version of its self-driving technology in the Zeekr vehicle, he added.
Significantly, unlike previous vehicle announcements, Waymo isn't saying how many Ioniq 5s it plans to buy from Hyundai. Part of that may be because Waymo has become more cautious about overly optimistic predictions after critics slammed the AV industry for setting unrealistic deadlines.
This won't be the Ioniq 5's first self-driving rodeo. The vehicle also serves as a platform for Motional, Hyundai's robotaxi subsidiary, and Avride, the former Yandex self-driving vehicle group.
But Waymo's business is significantly, well, busier than those companies. The company recently celebrated a significant milestone: 100,000 paid rides per week.