On the 8th (local time), the parking lot of the Motional Technical Center in Las Vegas, United States. After taking a seat in the back of the Ioniq 5 robotaxi and pressing the start button on the front display, the vehicle slowly pulled away. About 5 meters before the point where it would exit the lot and merge onto a four-lane road, the right turn signal came on. It was a three-way intersection without a traffic light.
Just before turning right, the vehicle paused briefly, then picked up speed and merged. The rhythm was like a human driver checking for oncoming traffic from the left before making a right turn. Merging onto the main road smoothly without feeling slow, this vehicle is an autonomous taxi developed by Motional, Hyundai Motor Group's Autonomous Driving joint venture.
Over about 40 minutes, we test-rode a roughly 14-kilometer route from the Motional Technical Center through Town Square and the south end of the Strip past the Mandalay Bay hotel, then back to the center. Although a safety driver was seated in the driver's seat in this car, which is slated for pilot operation before full commercialization at the end of this year, there was no intervention in the driving during the test ride.
The Ioniq 5 robotaxi carrying reporters reduced speed to about 15 kilometers per hour as it entered Town Square after passing a boulevard. When a person stepped onto a crosswalk midway through the left turn, the robotaxi stopped with the steering wheel turned. When the person had crossed about 90%, it accelerated and passed.
As the traffic light changed from red to green while driving, the vehicle's deceleration and then acceleration felt natural. When it encountered a construction site while traveling in the third lane, it turned on the blinker about 70 meters ahead and merged into the second lane.
The Ioniq 5 robotaxi's natural situational awareness and response are thanks to 29 sensors mounted on the car. It has one long-range lidar attached on top, as well as 13 cameras, 11 radars, and four short-range lidars mounted around the vehicle.
Improving this system going forward is Motional's task. Sensor expenses must come down for commercialization. CEO Laura Major of Motional said, "Hardware expenses are falling, and multi-sensor setups are essential for safety," adding, "Even so, we are discussing several options, such as integrating cameras and radars."
Because the vehicle is configured with safety first, at times the driving felt overly conservative. For example, this happened while exiting Town Square when a car in the opposite lane had stopped.
The car and the Ioniq 5 robotaxi seemed to recognize each other and waited briefly. As the Ioniq 5 robotaxi slowly increased speed to 10 kilometers per hour and the other car made a U-turn, the Ioniq 5 robotaxi made a hard stop. The distance from the U-turning car was considerable, but it seemed to perceive it as an emergency.
◇Robotaxi operates after checking and transmitting data and inspecting sensors
The Ioniq 5 robotaxi that the reporting team boarded appears in real time as an icon on a 20-meter-wide large screen at the control center inside the Motional Technical Center. The vehicle ID and operating status also appear in real time.
Operations staff here checked the large screen and their monitors to review vehicle video and sensor recognition screens. Adam Griffin, vice president in charge of operations at Motional, said, "The control center's role is to continuously monitor the vehicles and assist with decisions when necessary."
After a drive, the vehicle enters a designated parking area. Engineers open the trunk there, connect diagnostic equipment, and check the status of various sensors. Dave Schwonke, vice president in charge of software, said, "Autonomous Driving vehicles generate several terabytes of data per day on average," adding, "If data is missing, it can affect driving decisions, so we first check for data anomalies." When a charger is connected to the vehicle, driving data is transmitted to the server.
There is a calibration room on one side of the garage. It is a space for inspecting and calibrating the 29 sensors. Only vehicles that have gone through this process are put back into urban driving. They are not inspected every drive, but at set intervals.
Motional is operating this robotaxi 24 hours a day in Las Vegas and Pittsburgh to secure data. CEO Major said, "Starting this year, we will begin full-scale commercialization of unmanned Autonomous Driving," adding, "We aim to complete all tests by then."