Hyundai Motor Company has announced a partnership with Avride, an autonomous vehicle and delivery robot spin-off from Russian tech company Yandex. The collaboration aims to accelerate the development and deployment of robotaxis, with plans to introduce up to 100 autonomous Ioniq 5 vehicles by 2025.
This partnership builds upon a relationship that began in 2019 when Yandex started using Hyundai vehicles like the Sonata and Ioniq 5 as platforms for testing autonomous driving technology. The rebranded Avride, now based in Austin in the USA, has been making strides in the autonomous vehicle sector since its spin-off from Yandex in 2022.
“This new agreement with Hyundai Motor Company will help us scale our operations significantly, with plans to expand our fleet to up to 100 autonomous Ioniq 5’s in 2025, leveraging Hyundai Motor’s Ioniq 5 and our autonomous driving technology,” said Dmitry Polishchuk, CEO of Avride.
Central to this ambitious plan is Hyundai’s new Metaplant America facility in the US state of Georgia. This state-of-the-art plant will serve as the assembly point for the Ioniq 5 robotaxis before they are integrated with Avride’s self-driving technology. This strategic decision not only streamlines the production process but also leverages Hyundai’s manufacturing expertise in conjunction with Avride’s technological prowess.
Hyundai has also joined forces with Waymo and maintains a joint venture with Aptiv called Motional Inc., which has been offering pilot robotaxi services in Las Vegas, Nevada, since 2018.
“Hyundai Motor Company is actively advancing its autonomous vehicle foundry business in pursuit of pioneering vehicles most suitable for Level 4 autonomous driving,” said Chang Song, president and head of Hyundai Motor Group Advanced Vehicle Platform (AVP) Division. “We are expanding our collaboration with leading autonomous driving tech companies like Avride, fostering an environment where their innovations can actively participate in our endeavor to shape the future of mobility.”