Aug 16, 2022 - Economy

In Las Vegas, your Lyft driver could soon be a robot

Joann Muller

A woman prepares to board an autonomous Lyft robotaxi in Las Vegas — Lyft and Motional are developing robotaxi service in Las Vegas. Photo courtesy of Motional

Lyft is adding a new fleet of electric, autonomous vehicles (AVs) to its ride-hailing network in Las Vegas, bringing it one step closer to offering a full robotaxi service.

Why it matters: It's the latest milestone in the partnership between Lyft and Motional, one of a half-dozen leading autonomous tech companies.

Rather than designing its own self-driving cars, Lyft is partnering with others to bring AVs to its network.

Details: Motional's new AV is based on Hyundai's electric Ioniq 5, customized for driverless ride-hail operation.

It's equipped with more than 30 sensors — cameras, radar and lidar — and an onboard computer system that helps the vehicle see and understand the world around it.
Riders can unlock the doors via the Lyft app and start the ride using an intuitive passenger display in the rear seat.
If needed, they can also use the screen to contact remote agents.

Of note: For now, two vehicle operators will be present in the front seat, but passengers can get a feel for what the robotaxi experience will be like.

What's next: The service is set to become fully driverless in 2023, and will then scale to other cities.

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In Las Vegas, your Lyft driver could soon be a robot

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