Hyundai Blazes Past Tesla: IONIQ 5 Robotaxi Aces Simulated Driving Test (Already!)

EV giant Tesla TSLA is not the only car maker looking to launch robotaxis capable of driving around by themselves without human intervention on American roads.

What Happened: Korean automaker Hyundai‘s HYMTF IONIQ 5 robotaxi has already passed a simulated driving test. The driving test was administered by Kandice Jones, a certified driving examiner for the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV), as part of a campaign film released by the company in late March.

The video features a simulation of the vehicle completing a process similar to a U.S. driver’s license test including road driving in Las Vegas. Portions of the autonomous driving segments in the campaign film, however, were simulated with a human driver, Hyundai clarified.

The Ioniq 5 robotaxi is the result of a collaboration between Hyundai and driverless tech provider Motional. Equipped with more than 30 sensors, it is currently undergoing testing of its autonomous driving features.

The car transports public passengers in select areas of Las Vegas, Nevada, during select times of the day. Customers in Las Vegas can take a ride in the Ioniq 5 robotaxi via the Uber app. However, given that the vehicle is currently in its testing phase, it is staffed by a vehicle operator in the driver’s seat who can take over driving if required.

Tesla’s Robotaxi Plans: Tesla is gearing up to unveil its own self-driving robotaxi on Aug. 8. Musk has previously said that Tesla’s robotaxi will “look like the future” and that it would be a revolutionary design made in a revolutionary way.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has been touting the idea of autonomous Tesla vehicles functioning as a robotaxi since as far back as 2019. In June 2023, Musk even identified vehicle autonomy as the main driver of the brand's market value.

“The value of the company is primarily based on autonomy,” Musk stated at the VivaTech conference in Paris. “That’s really, I think, the main driver of our value.”

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