Alphabet’s autonomous vehicle technology company Waymo has announced it will expand its robotaxi fleet with new electric cars from South Korea’s Hyundai Motor.

The companies announced that, under this collaboration, the IONIQ 5 SUVs produced at Hyundai’s plant in Georgia will be equipped with Waymo’s autonomous driving technology and will be tested on roads by the end of 2025.

Waymo currently has approximately 700 vehicles and is the only company in the United States that operates autonomous robotic axles that require no human intervention to transport passengers. This partnership with Hyundai was announced a few days before the event, where Tesla CEO Elon Musk will announce plans to offer robotaxi service with a specially designed vehicle. Elon Musk’s announcement is eagerly awaited and rumor has it that there are plans for a ride-hailing platform where Tesla owners can share their vehicles when they’re not in use.

Hyundai’s IONIQ 5 SUVs join the Waymo fleet

Waymo currently uses Jaguar Land Rover’s I-PACE models in its fleet and is also testing Geely’s Chinese electric vehicle brand Zeekr. The company is covered by the scope of this agreement will further expand its robotaxi fleet with Hyundai.

This year, Waymo began offering service to everyone in San Francisco, with no waitlist. Jose Munoz, Global COO of Hyundai Motor, “Our team at our new manufacturing facility is ready to deploy a significant number of vehicles to continue the expansion of the Waymo One fleet. We are actively evaluating new opportunities to further expand our partnership.” he said.

As autonomous vehicle technologies remain skeptical around the world, Alphabet is poised to make a $5 billion investment in Waymo this year despite strict regulatory scrutiny and federal investigations. It seems The future will sooner or later also include self-driving vehicles. It will house roads.

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