Hyundai’s Electric Cars to Join Waymo’s Robotaxi Fleet

Waymo, the autonomous driving technology company under Alphabet, is gearing up to add Hyundai Motor’s electric vehicles to its robotaxi fleet.

The IONIQ 5 SUV models, assembled at Hyundai’s Georgia plant and equipped with Waymo’s self-driving technology, are expected to hit U.S. roads by the end of 2025.

Currently, Waymo operates a fleet of 700 vehicles, including Jaguar Land Rover’s I-PACE models, across states like Arizona, Texas, and California. It remains the first and, so far, the only robotaxi service in the U.S. with the authorization to charge passengers.

Beating Tesla to the punch with this announcement ahead of Tesla’s own robotaxi plans, Waymo also revealed that it is actively exploring additional partnership opportunities. After expanding its service area in August, Waymo reported conducting over 100,000 paid rides per week within just three months.

In May, Waymo faced a lawsuit from the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, but the company remains on course. In July, it announced a $5 billion investment from Alphabet to solidify its position as a leader in autonomous driving technology.