Hyundai and Uber Launch Driverless Taxis in Las Vegas, Aim to Remove Safety Drivers by Year-End

Hyundai Motor Group’s autonomous driving subsidiary Motional and Uber recently launched a robotaxi service in Las Vegas, U.S., based on the IONIQ 5. When users book a designated vehicle model via the Uber app, they may be matched with an L4 autonomous vehicle equipped with a safety driver—at no additional cost. Initially, the service covers high-traffic areas along the Las Vegas Strip, and passengers can enable the “Robotaxi” option within the app. The vehicles have already received U.S. federal safety certification, with plans to operate without safety drivers by the end of this year. Additionally, Hyundai is expanding its collaboration with NVIDIA, integrating the DRIVE Hyperion platform into its software-defined vehicle architecture to advance full-stack technologies—from L2 advanced driver assistance systems to L4 robotaxis.