Lyft plans to roll out a massive fleet of driverless cars starting in 2023. In anticipation of the milestone, the company, which has partnered with self-driving car developer Motional, is updating its existing robotaxis service to Las Vegas with all-new all-electric models.
IONIQ-5 vehicles, developed by Motional on a Hyundai platform, offer L4 range and use a continuous learning framework designed to make vehicles safer with every mile travelled. Motional is a joint venture between Hyundai Motor Group and automotive supplier Aptiv.
“We will deploy our robotaxis in major markets through our partnerships with home transportation networks,” Sammy Omari, Motional’s vice president of engineering and autonomy, told ZDNet earlier this year. ‘year. “In order to achieve large-scale Level 4 deployments, our vehicles must be able to recognize and safely navigate the many unpredictable and unusual road scenarios that human drivers also face. »
Spotlight on carpooling
Carpooling is an excellent candidate to become a major early adopter of self-driving cars. Motional and Lyft have been running self-driving rides in Las Vegas since 2018, and by all accounts, it’s been a hit. Over 100,000 Lyft users have used self-driving cars, and more than 95% of them have left five-star reviews.
“The launch of Motional’s all-electric IONIQ 5 on Lyft’s Las Vegas network represents a huge step forward in our vision to make an electric, self-driving, shared future a reality for people everywhere,” Logan said. Green, CEO and co-founder of Lyft. “Today’s launch gives users access to Motional’s autonomous technology in a seamless, familiar and personalized way, all on a network they already trust. We are in the process of designing an autonomous experience where the only expectation of users is to relax and enjoy the journey. »
The launch heralds the readiness for Motional and Lyft’s fully driverless service, which is expected to debut in 2023 and expand to multiple U.S. cities. Under the service, customers will use the app to control some of the functions previously under driver control, such as Lyft unlocking doors and starting the ride. The new service will also include a new on-board display suitable for self-driving carpooling. Motional and Lyft are making these new features available to the public now, in anticipation of rolling out a fully self-driving service next year.
Lyft isn’t the only ride-sharing company using Motional. After abandoning its dreams of self-driving cars in 2020, Uber has announced that it will turn to Motional for self-driving Uber Eats deliveries in 2021. This service launched this year, giving Motional a strong position in the market. as ride-sharing companies look to a self-driving future.
Source: ZDNet.com