Hyundai and autonomous vehicle manufacturer Aptiv announced Tuesday that their joint venture is operating under a new name: Motional. The company plans to test fully driverless cars for ride-hailing services later this year and is growing its headcount by 45 percent, according to a company spokesperson.
Motional is looking to beef up its engineering departments before the end of this year, with several open positions listed at its Boston headquarters and offices in Santa Monica, Pittsburgh, Las Vegas, Singapore and Seoul.
Though the name is new, Motional’s team has been working in this space for a while now. NuTonomy, a Massachusetts Institute of Technology spinoff founded and previously headed by Motional CEO and president Karl Iagnemma, was responsible for the the first fully autonomous cross-country drive in the United States back in 2015 and the world’s first robotaxi pilot in Singapore in 2016. Aptiv has also been partnering with Lyft over the past two years to operate a fleet of autonomous taxis in Las Vegas, with more than 100,000 trips completed, according to Motional.
The $4 billion joint venture between Aptiv and Hyundai was first established back in March, right around the time the coronavirus accelerated its spread across the U.S. Soon after, established companies like Waymo and Uber began suspending their self-driving car programs, citing potential social distancing concerns. The pandemic has since placed tremendous strains on the driverless car industry, but Motional has pressed forward.
The company is now in the midst of developing and commercializing its SAE Level 4 vehicles, which can autonomously perform tasks within specific geographical areas and weather conditions. Motional says it will begin testing this year, with the goal of providing its technology to robotaxi providers and fleet operators in 2022.
“Motional, in all of its previous forms, has been leading driverless technology for decades,” Iagnemma said in a statement. “What we’re building is more relevant than ever. The pandemic has challenged the global community to re-think transportation, and governments and individuals want more and better options. We’re excited to bring driverless technology safely and comfortably to everyday life.”
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