Waymo Partners with Hyundai for Future Rides: Everything You Need to Know About the Growing Robotaxi Service
Self-driving cars are slowly becoming less dystopian and more realistic as companies like Waymo, the self-driving arm of Google parent company Alphabet, expand into more cities. And now Waymo is too cooperation with Hyundai in a multi-year deal that will bring next-generation Waymo technology to IONIQ 5 SUVs. In the coming years, drivers will be able to summon the all-electric vehicles – without a driver behind the wheel – using the Waymo One app.
The self-driving technology company is no stranger to large-scale partnerships. Earlier this year it was said that it was to collaborate with Uber to bring its robotaxi service to Atlanta and Austin via the Uber app. Starting in 2025, Uber will manage and dispatch Waymo’s fleet of fully autonomous, all-electric Jaguar I-Pace vehicles (which the company currently uses in other cities), so you can choose a driverless ride during your trip.
Waymo currently operates fully autonomous rides for the general public in the San Francisco and Phoenix areas, as well as for select members of the public in Los Angeles. The company says it provides more than 100,000 rides through these cities every week. I’ve praised several rides in San Francisco myself, and as unpleasant as it may seem at first (especially to see a steering wheel turn on its own), I quickly adapted and it soon felt like a regular ride.
That’s not to say there hasn’t been a backlash as Waymo rolls out to more cities. The company’s vehicles have been involved in a handful of high-profile collisions, including one with a motorcyclist in San Francisco, and another involving a towed pickup in Phoenix. (It the software recalled and updated In response to concerns, Waymo says its autonomous Waymo Driver technology over 14.3 million miles was “up to 3.5x better at avoiding crashes that cause injuries and 2x better at avoiding police-reported crashes than human drivers in SF and Phoenix.” It also brought a datahub earlier this month, detailing efforts to improve road safety using its technology.
As Waymo continues to expand and develop its self-driving technology, here’s a guide to how and where to summon a robotaxi, if you’re in one of the few cities where the company currently operates its fleet.
Check this out: Testing Waymo’s Safe Exit feature in a self-driving taxi
Taking a ride in Phoenix
Phoenix was the first city to open fully autonomous Waymo rides to the public in 2020. To announce a ride, download the Waymo One app on iOS or Android.– no waiting list necessary. The service is active 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
For a taste of what’s to come in Austin and Atlanta, you can do that too use the Uber app to summon one of Waymo’s vehicles in Phoenix. When you request an UberX, Uber Green, Uber Comfort, or Uber Comfort Electric ride, you have the choice to confirm a Waymo ride, if there is a match for you.
Next to take a ridemaybe you have yours too Uber Eats meal delivered by a self-driving car. When you place an order in the Phoenix area, you may be notified that “autonomous vehicles can deliver your order.” When the Waymo car arrives, take your phone with you to pop open the trunk and grab your order. You can opt out of this during checkout if you would prefer someone to deliver your food.
Taking a ride in San Francisco
San Francisco followed suit after Phoenix and rolled out fully autonomous rides by the end of 2022. In June, the waitlist was eliminated, so now anyone can simply download the Waymo One app to ride at any time. Moreover, the service is active 24 hours a day, seven days a week. There is currently no Uber partnership in San Francisco.
In August, Waymo expanded its taxi service to the San Francisco Peninsula, adding 6 square miles and venturing into Daly City, Broadmoor and Colma. It now operates across 55 square miles of the Bay Area.
Taking a ride in Los Angeles
In LA you’ll have to do that join a waiting list before taking a ride with Waymo. The company too expanded its services in the region in August, now covering 79 square miles of LA County.
First download the Waymo One app and create an account to get on the waiting list. Waymo will then contact you when it is your turn. If you have an invite code, you can enter it in the app to register rides.
Coming soon: Austin and Atlanta
After over a year testing in Austin, Waymo opened rides to people on its interest list in early October. The company says it will welcome a “limited number of early riders” through the Waymo One app, before switching to the Uber app next year.
“Riders will travel across 23 square miles of the city as we prepare for our commercial launch early next year – exclusively through the Uber app,” says Waymo posted on X.
This Uber partnership should make autonomous rides more accessible to more people. In a statement in September, Waymo co-CEO Tekedra Mawakana said: “Waymo’s mission is to be the most trusted driver in the world, and we are excited to launch this expanded network and operating partnership with Uber in Austin and Atlanta to leverage the benefits of fully autonomous driving for more drivers.”
As part of the Uber partnership, Uber will perform tasks such as cleaning and repairing vehicles, while “Waymo remains responsible for testing and operating the Waymo Driver, including roadside assistance and certain passenger support features,” the companies said.
In Atlanta, public riders will be able to take a driverless ride through the Uber app starting in early 2025.
Members of the public in both Austin and Atlanta can join one interest list and receive a notification when it’s time to drive.
The way forward
In August, Waymo unveiled the sixth generation of its self-driving technology, which aims to expand the capabilities of its self-driving fleet. Smarter sensors will help the cars navigate better in extreme weather, Waymo said. The sixth generation Driver comes on board the fully electric version Zeekr vehicleequipped with a flat floor, more head and leg room, adjustable seats and a removable steering wheel and pedals. The updated technology is still being tested and the company says it will be available to riders soon.
In October, Waymo also announced one cooperation with Hyundai to integrate its sixth-generation Driver into the all-electric IONIQ 5 SUV, which according to a blog post “will be added to the Waymo One fleet over time.” The companies added that they “plan to produce a fleet of IONIQ 5s equipped with Waymo’s technology in significant volume over several years to support the growing scale of Waymo One.” Testing with these vehicles will begin in late 2025 and become available “in the coming years.”
Currently, regular drivers can’t take a Waymo vehicle on highways, but that could soon change. The company is testing fully autonomous rides highways in Phoenixas seen in an exclusive video shared with CNET in May.
Waymo is working to extend its autonomous driving technology to trucking, but last year the company said it is scale back these efforts to focus on driving Waymo One for now. It noted, “Our continued investments in advancing Waymo Driver’s capabilities, especially on highways, will translate directly to trucking and benefit its development efforts.”
