Waymo may turn to Hyundai to supply vehicles to be converted into robotaxis for its growing Waymo One ride-hailing service.
Waymo already has a deal with Geely-owned Zeekr to supply electric minivans, but Reutersciting South Korea’s Electronic Times, reported Thursday that the Alphabet-owned company is in talks with Hyundai about a deal to use the Ioniq 5 compact crossover instead of the Zeekr minivan.
Such a move would help Waymo avoid paying the 100% tariff on electric vehicles made in China like the Zeekr minivan. The tariff comes into effect from September 27.
Waymo, in a response to Reuters, said it is continuing to validate its latest self-driving system, known as Waymo Driver, in Zeekr minivans and will add the vehicles to its Waymo One service when they are ready. Waymo’s current robotaxis are based on the Jaguar I-Pace compact crossover. Previously, the company used Chrysler Pacifica minivans.
Waymo robot taxi
Zeekr, in its own response to Reuters, said there had been no change to its partnership with Waymo.
Hyundai itself uses the Ioniq 5 as the basis for a robotaxi service known as Motionalwhich is being jointly developed by Hyundai and automotive supplier Aptiv. Motional has successfully tested its service in Las Vegas and expects to launch a public service in 2026.
Waymo’s Waymo One service has been in operation for several years and currently operates in San Francisco, Phoenix and Los Angeles, with the company delivering more than 100,000 trips per weeksays. It plans to expand the network to Austin and Atlanta in early 2025, using the Uber network in those cities.