Waymo incorporates the Hyundai Ioniq 5 into its fleet of autonomous vehicles.
It has a range of 300 miles and the possibility of fast charging.
Waymo is focusing its attention on its next robotaxi: the Hyundai Ioniq 5. This company, part of Alphabet, has announced a strategic, multi-year collaboration with the Hyundai Group that will allow the Ioniq 5 to join its fleet of robotaxis. However, before this happens, the vehicle will need to undergo on-road testing using Waymo's autonomous driving technology, which is expected to begin in late 2025. Although Waymo has not specified when the Ioniq 5 will be used for passenger transport, it stated that it will be "in years" to come.
The vehicles that will be part of Waymo's fleet will be manufactured at Hyundai's Metaplant in Georgia, which is nearly complete and has required a $7.6 billion investment. The two companies have agreed to produce a significant number of Hyundai electric vehicles equipped with Waymo technology over several years.
A crucial aspect for robotaxis is the time available on the road, as the time a vehicle spends charging equates to lost revenue. The Ioniq 5, an electric SUV, has a range of just over 300 miles and features an 800-volt architecture that enhances its charging speed. According to Hyundai, when connected to a 350kW fast charger, the Ioniq 5 can charge from 10 to 80 percent in just 18 minutes, which is an advantage for Waymo's still unprofitable business model.
Since its launch at the end of 2021, the Ioniq 5 has received very positive reviews and numerous awards, making it one of the best-selling electric vehicles, with 30,000 units sold in the United States this year alone. This popularity has allowed Hyundai, along with its sister company Kia, to surpass Ford and GM as the second-largest seller of electric vehicles in the U.S., trailing only Tesla.
Currently, Waymo operates a fleet of hundreds of Jaguar I-Pace vehicles, which have been its primary robotaxi since it retired the Chrysler Pacifica in 2013. The company plans to add a new vehicle from Geely's Zeekr brand, although recent decisions by the Biden administration to quadruple tariffs on electric vehicles imported from China could complicate this strategy.
Recent reports from South Korea anticipated the news of the collaboration between Waymo and Hyundai, indicating that the two companies met numerous times at Waymo's headquarters in California to discuss robotaxi manufacturing. It was mentioned that Waymo was looking for a "replacement" for its Zeekr vehicles due to the new and costly tariffs, although Waymo responded by denying this report and reaffirming its intention to continue deploying Zeekr vehicles. A Waymo spokesperson noted that the Ioniq 5 will not directly replace any of its vehicle platforms but will facilitate preparation for greater growth.
Waymo is also working on validating the sixth version of its autonomous driving technology in the Zeekr vehicle. Interestingly, Waymo has not communicated how many Ioniq 5s it plans to acquire from Hyundai, which marks a shift from its previous announcements about vehicles. Part of this caution may relate to a more measured approach by Waymo in light of the criticism the autonomous vehicle industry has received for not meeting established timelines. It is worth mentioning that the Ioniq 5 has already been used in autonomous driving initiatives by Motional, Hyundai's robotaxi subsidiary, and by Avride, which was part of Yandex's autonomous driving group. Nevertheless, Waymo's business is significantly more active, recently celebrating a milestone of 100,000 paid rides per week.
