The all-electric robotaxi service from Lyft and Motional is now available in Las Vegas

Las Vegas now offers a brand-new robotaxi service to the general public. It's operated by Lyft and the autonomous car startup Motional, and it serves as a trial run for a fully driverless service that will be introduced to the city in 2023.

Motional, a joint venture between Hyundai and Aptiv, has been testing its self-driving cars in Las Vegas with Lyft for more than four years. During the yearly Consumer Electronics Show in 2018, Aptiv and Lyft conducted a one-week pilot to test the system. Since then, over 100,000 passenger journeys have been completed.

The firms today announced the opening of that service to the general public, making it possible for customers to hail a ride in one of the firm's autonomous, all-electric Hyundai Ioniq 5 cars for the first time. As with previous robotaxi services that have been introduced throughout the years, a safety driver will always be behind the wheel just in case. However, according to Motional and Lyft, fully autonomous vehicles will start using the service in 2019.

Unlike other robotaxi services in the US, Motional and Lyft do not require prospective passengers to register for a waitlist or to adhere to a non-disclosure agreement in order to participate in a beta-testing program. Additionally, rides are free; the corporations want to start charging for the service the next year.

The service is accessible to everyone, according to Akshay Jaising, vice president of commercialization at Motional. A Motional AV can be ordered by any Lyft passenger in Las Vegas. NDAs are not required. no signups. Motional and Lyft have conducted business in this manner for the previous four years. Real riders, not workers or small groups of participants, are thought to provide the best input.

Customers who are interested in riding in one of Motional's autonomous vehicles will have access to a number of new features that set this service apart from Lyft's current fleet of vehicles. Customers will be able to use the Lyft app, for instance, to unlock the doors. Once inside, users can use the new in-car Lyft AV app on an in-car touchscreen to start the ride or contact customer service.

According to Motional and Lyft, "extensive research and input from real riders to improve their comfort and ease of usage" support the new capabilities. In front of the service's planned transition to complete driverless operation early next year, the firms are making the additional user features accessible to the general public right now.

For "completely driverless testing anywhere in Nevada," Motional claims to have a permission. Ahead of the launch in 2023, the two businesses claim they will obtain the necessary licenses to start offering paid trips in fully autonomous vehicles.

Hyundai and Aptiv, a technology corporation formerly known as Delphi, which together hold 50% of the business, first unveiled Motional in March 2020, saying they will spend $1.6 billion to catch up to their competitors in the autonomous car market. Currently, the company has offices in Las Vegas, Singapore, and Seoul. It has also tested its vehicles in Boston and Pittsburgh. (via: theverge)