Uber Expands Robotaxi Push With Motional Launch in Las Vegas

Uber is expanding its ride-hailing network with the addition of Motional robotaxis. According to TechCrunch, riders in Las Vegas will now be matched with Motional robotaxis on the Uber app.

Like in other cities, Uber does not provide a specific way for users to request a Motional robotaxi service in Las Vegas. However, customers can increase their chances of getting matched with one by activating self-driving vehicle pickup in the Uber app.

Robotaxi Service to Cover Five Areas

Riders will be able to hail Motional’s all-electric IONIQ 5 in five areas within Las Vegas and the autonomous vehicles will feature a safety monitor. With the Uber-Motional robotaxi partnership in place, the two companies expect to run fully driverless services in Las Vegas by the end of 2026.

For Motional, the robotaxi launch in Las Vegas is a significant milestone. Founded two years ago as a joint venture between Aptiv and Hyundai, Motional was lagging in its robotaxi service launch plans with Lyft.

Aptiv quit the joint venture, leaving Hyundai to decide the fate of the autonomous vehicle startup. Hyundai invested an additional $1 billion in the startup and overhauled the AI startup, a process that saw the company lay off about 40% of its employees.

“We saw that there was tremendous potential with all the advancements that were happening within AI; and we also saw that while we had a safe, driverless system, there was a gap to getting to an affordable solution that could generalize and scale globally.,” Motional president and CEO, Laura Major noted.

Motional Robotaxis have Been Operational

Motional has been offering robotaxi services in Las Vegas for months. The company had shared plans to launch its services in several other cities through Uber and Lyft platforms. In Las Vegas, Motional vehicles will pick and drop riders in designated rideshare zones.

“At launch, the service will be available at designated locations along Las Vegas Boulevard, including rideshare zones at the Resorts World Las Vegas and Encore at the Wynn Las Vegas, plus curbside throughout Downtown and the Town Square shopping district near the airport, with plans to expand the operating area in the future,” Uber stated in a statement posted on its website.

Uber, which recently set up AV labs to support robotaxi development, views its partnership with Motional as a step in its global push for autonomous vehicles. Over the last two years, the ride-hailing firm has partnered with more than 25 companies to deploy self-driving vehicles on its platform.

This strategy positions Uber as a central marketplace for autonomous fleets, allowing multiple developers to connect their technology to its vast network of riders.

What the Partnership With Uber Means for Motional

Motional’s integration into the Uber app provides an opportunity to scale its operations. Instead of building its own ride-hailing app, the autonomous vehicle startup taps directly into Uber’s vast user base.

This strategy is very similar to the one adopted by Waymo, which partnered with Uber in Phoenix and Austin. The Google-owned self-driving unit went on to establish a strong presence in the robotaxi market in these cities.