Hyundai and Avride Bring Autonomous Taxis to Dallas with IONIQ 5

Hyundai Motor Co. has partnered with Texas-based autonomous driving startup Avride to develop self-driving robotaxis using the all-electric IONIQ 5 SUV. The collaboration is part of Hyundai’s push to expand Level 4 autonomous vehicle technology, which allows cars to operate without human control in certain conditions. These robotaxis will begin service in Dallas later this year and will be available exclusively through the Uber app.

As autonomous ride-hailing expands, various companies are working on similar initiatives. For instance, Lyft plans to launch Mobileye-powered robotaxis in Dallas by 2026, highlighting the growing competition in the sector.

Avride, a spin-off of Russia’s Yandex, is also working with Hyundai on integrating autonomous technology into sidewalk delivery robots. The IONIQ 5 vehicles will be manufactured at Hyundai’s Metaplant America factory in Georgia before Avride equips them with its self-driving systems.

Dmitry Polishchuk, CEO of Avride, stated:

"This new agreement with Hyundai Motor will help us scale our operations significantly, with plans to expand our fleet to up to 100 autonomous IONIQ 5s in 2025, leveraging Hyundai Motor’s IONIQ 5 and our autonomous driving technology."

Impact on the Taxi Industry

The partnership reflects a growing trend in the taxi and ride-hailing industry, where companies are shifting toward autonomous fleets. Rather than selling self-driving cars directly to consumers, Hyundai is focusing on providing customized robotaxis.

Hyundai has been actively developing autonomous technology through various collaborations. In October, it signed a multi-year agreement with Waymo to co-develop a self-driving IONIQ 5. Additionally, Motional, a Hyundai-Aptiv joint venture, has been testing an autonomous taxi service in Las Vegas since 2018.

This move follows a key milestone—an IONIQ 5 robotaxi recently passed a US driver’s license test, making it the first Level 4 vehicle to receive Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) certification.