Hyundai, talks with Waymo for a supply of Ioniq 5 | FormulaPassion.it

Waymo, a company of the Alphabet group, is reportedly in talks with Hyundai Motor for a new vehicle to be used as a self-driving robotaxi, according to the South Korean newspaper Electronic Times.
Officials from Google’s mobility company and executives from the Asian brand have already met several times to discuss a plan to use Hyundai’s Ioniq 5 electric crossover for Waymo’s sixth-generation self-driving technology. The latter’s robotaxis, which use vehicles from Stellantis and Jaguar, are currently operating in Phoenix, Los Angeles and San Francisco.

The intrigue between Hyundai, Waymo and Zeekr

Hyundai’s entry as Waymo’s new partner would mean replacing the Chinese Zeekr platform with Hyundai Ioniq 5 models. The rumor from South Korea came just as a new tax by the Biden administration on Chinese imports, particularly electric vehicles, is being discussed, which should come into force on September 27. Waymo intervened on the issue, with a statement that neither confirmed nor denied the talks with Hyundai, while stressing that previous plans will proceed as scheduled: “We decline to comment on speculation, but we can say that we are working hard to validate the sixth-generation Waymo Driver on the Zeekr platform and intend to introduce it into our fleet when it is ready.” Zeekr also stressed in a brief note that at the moment there are no changes in the agreement that binds the Chinese brand of the Geely Group to the Alphabet company and that the electric car brand is working hard to supply the vehicles as soon as possible. The Geely Group has planned a long-term investment in the Waymo project, with 5 billion dollars distributed over the next few years.

Projects on standby

Hyundai, meanwhile, has not commented on the Electronic Times report. The Korean brand said that nothing has been decided yet about a potential sale of its car platform to other companies. Meanwhile, Hyundai Motor Group’s autonomous driving technology unit Motional delayed plans to launch a robotaxi service earlier this year.