Motional, Hyundai, and Lyft

Motional, the autonomous vehicle company formerly named nuTonomy, has traditionally been the most quiet of the major US-based AV startups. Although its size, in terms of headcount, is on par with Waymo, Cruise, Argo, and Aurora, Motional winds up in the news a lot less.

Recent Motional announcements have been pretty low-key, but they are at least a reminder that the company is progressing.

According to The Verge:

“Motional, the autonomous vehicle company that is a joint venture between Hyundai and Aptiv, is growing its presence in Las Vegas as it gears up to launch a commercial robotaxi service in 2023.”

The firm is making a huge investment in a new testing center in Las Vegas, as well as rolling out the Hyundai Ioniq 5. That vehicle, an SUV, will be the centerpiece of their initial ridesharing effort.

The Motional partnership with Lyft means that Lyft will have at least two self-driving partners – Argo and Motion – plus whatever happens with the former Lyft Level 5, now part of Toyota’s Woven Planet subsidiary.