Avride Partners with Hyundai to Boost Robotaxi Services
Avride, a self-driving technology startup, and Hyundai Motor Co. are joining forces to expand Avride’s robotaxi fleet. The companies have reached an agreement to collaborate on the development and operation of self-driving vehicles, according to a Wednesday announcement.
Based in Texas, Avride intends to increase its fleet to 100 Hyundai IONIQ 5 cars this year, with further expansion planned for 2026. The move comes as Avride seeks to enter new regions and advance its self-driving systems.
Avride is among a number of technology companies in the autonomous vehicle development sector that are growing their robotaxi fleets, entering new markets, and forming alliances with ride-hailing services. Competitors include Tesla, led by Elon Musk, which is preparing to launch its own autonomous ride-hailing service in Texas and California this year. Additionally, Alphabet’s Waymo recently introduced its robotaxi services exclusively on Uber’s platform in Austin, Texas.
Avride’s latest IONIQ 5 vehicles will be integrated into its ride-hailing services, exclusively available on Uber in Dallas, Texas. These vehicles will be manufactured in the United States at Hyundai’s Metaplant facility in Georgia and then retrofitted with Avride’s self-driving technology suite.
As part of the partnership, Hyundai and Avride said they will work together to develop a robotaxi fleet and assess opportunities for collaboration on autonomous delivery services that utilize Avride’s robots.
Previously, the startup was a part of the self-driving division of the Russian company Yandex. They separated last year due to restructuring. In 2019, the Russian firm partnered with Hyundai’s automotive supply unit for the development of software and hardware systems used in self-driving cars.
Avride’s team has past experience using Hyundai Motor vehicles, including the Sonata and IONIQ 5 models, as platforms for their autonomous technology.
