Introducing driverless Ubers in Las Vegas with plans to expand to other major cities

LAS Vegas residents and visitors can now request a ride from the self-driving company Motional through the Uber app.

The two companies recently announced a 10-year framework that is expected to create one of the largest fleets of automated vehicles (AVs) within a ride-hail platform.

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The launch of Uber and Motional in Las Vegas follows their successful Uber Eats self-driving delivery trials in the Los Angeles area.

Motional will shuttle Uber customers in Las Vegas with all-electric Hyundai IONIQ 5 SUVs.

This all-electric fleet will be a stepping stone toward Uber’s goal of zero-emission production by 2030, according to Uber Motional press release.

Vehicle security staff will be present during the initial launch of Uber and Motional, with driverless trips planned for 2023.

Akshay Jaising, vice president of commercialization at Motional, said, “Today, Motional is the first AV company to deliver all-electric autonomous driving on the Uber network for public riders.

“It’s a testament to our technology and the strength of our partnership with Uber that we can go from concept to consumer in such a short amount of time.”

Motional is also the first autonomous (self-driving) company to do both deliveries and rides on a large network like Uber.

Motional previously ran a public robotaxi ride service in Las Vegas alongside companies like Lyft for five years.

Las Vegas residents and visitors can open their Uber app and select UberX or Uber Comfort Electric options for a chance to be matched with a Motional AV.

If a Motional self-driving Hyundai is available, customers can opt out of the automated service before their pickup is confirmed.

Motional and Uber plan to launch their robotaxi services in Los Angeles after their Las Vegas expansion.

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