Key Points
The autonomous driving tech developer Waymo said this week that it would partner with the Korean automaker Hyundai to equip a fleet of its electric vehicles with self-driving technology..
The vehicles, modified Ioniq 5s, will hit the road as part of Waymos self-driving ride-hail service in late 2025, the companies said...
In an email on Friday, Waymo spokesperson Chris Bonelli wrote that the Hyundai Ioniq 5s will not replace any of our other vehicle platforms, and said the company is hard at work validating the latest version of Waymos tech on the Zeekr platform...
But in public comments submitted to the Commerce Department in April, Waymo representatives insisted that, despite its partnership with the Chinese automaker, China has nothing to do with the vital tech of the Zeekr-made robotaxi..
The AV-ready base vehicles being provided to Waymo have no driving automation or telematics capabilities built into them, the company wrote, saying that only US-based Waymo personnel install autonomous technology onto vehicles at an American factory..
