Autonomous vehicle company Motional has launched its robotaxi service on the Uber app in Las Vegas, marking a significant milestone for the company following a major restructuring two years ago.
The service uses a self-driving version of the Hyundai Ioniq 5, though a safety monitor remains inside the vehicle for now.
Where the robotaxis operate
Starting Friday, the autonomous vehicles will provide rides between several major locations in Las Vegas, including:
- The rideshare zones at Resorts World and Encore on the Las Vegas Strip
- Westgate, located next to the Las Vegas Convention Center
- Town Square shopping center near the city’s airport
- Curbside locations in Downtown Las Vegas
Passengers cannot specifically request a robotaxi ride yet. Instead, Uber users can increase their chances of getting one by enabling autonomous vehicle pickup within the app.
Fully driverless goal by end of 2026
Motional and Uber say the system is still in an early phase, but the companies aim to launch a fully driverless service in Las Vegas by the end of 2026.
The launch is an important step for Motional, which faced significant challenges in 2024.
The company — originally created as a joint venture between Hyundai Motor Group and Aptiv — fell behind on plans to deploy robotaxis with Lyft.
When Aptiv withdrew funding from the partnership, Hyundai stepped in with an additional $1 billion investment to keep the company operating.
Restructuring and AI pivot
Following the financial setback, Motional underwent a major restructuring that included layoffs affecting about 40% of its workforce.
The company also changed its technological strategy, shifting toward neural network-based autonomous driving systems, a method increasingly used across the self-driving industry.
Motional CEO Laura Major said the company paused some commercial plans to focus on building a system capable of scaling globally.
According to Major, the decision allowed the company to improve both affordability and real-world performance of its autonomous technology.
Uber expands robotaxi partnerships
For Uber, the Motional launch is part of a wider push into autonomous mobility.
Over the past two years, the ride-hailing giant has signed more than 25 partnerships with autonomous vehicle companies worldwide to bring robotaxis onto its platform.
This week alone, Uber also announced plans to introduce self-driving Nissan Leaf cars in Tokyo, powered by technology from Wayve.
The company is also preparing to add robotaxis from Zoox to the Uber app in Las Vegas later this year.
The growing network reflects Uber’s strategy to integrate autonomous vehicles into its platform globally, while continuing to operate its traditional ride-hailing service alongside them.
