Self-driving technology startup Avride partners with Hyundai to expand robotaxi fleet

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(Reuters) – Avride has partnered with Hyundai Motor Co to expand its fleet of robotaxis, and signed a deal with the South Korean automaker to jointly develop and operate self-driving vehicles, the companies said on Wednesday.

The Texas-based startup will expand its fleet to 100 Hyundai IONIQ 5 cars this year and further in 2026, as Avride looks to enter new regions and enhance its self-driving system.

Avride is among many self-driving technology development companies expanding their fleet of robotaxis, entering new markets and tying up with ride-hailing companies.

Elon Musk-led Tesla prepares to launch its autonomous ride-hailing service in California and Texas this year, while Alphabet unit Waymo rolled out its robotaxi services exclusively on Uber’s platform on Tuesday in Austin, Texas.

Avride said its latest IONIQ 5 vehicles will be part of its robotaxi services exclusively on Uber in Dallas, Texas.

Its cars will be manufactured in the United States at Hyundai’s Metaplant facility in Georgia and then retrofitted with Avride’s self-driving technology suite.

The companies said as part of the partnership, they will develop a fleet of robotaxis and explore the potential to collaborate on autonomous delivery services using Avride’s robots.

The startup was previously part of the self-driving division of Russian company Yandex, from which it separated last year following corporate restructuring.

The Russian firm had in 2019 partnered with Hyundai’s automotive supply unit to develop software and hardware systems for self-driving cars.

Avride’s team in the past has worked with vehicles made by Hyundai Motor as platforms for its autonomous technology, including the Sonata and IONIQ 5 models.

(Reporting by Akash Sriram in Bengaluru; Editing by Vijay Kishore)