X

Lyft and Motional's New Electric Robotaxis Now Offering Rides in Las Vegas

Interested riders can download the Lyft app to request a ride.

Meara Isenberg Writer
Meara covers streaming service news for CNET. She recently graduated from the University of Texas at Austin, where she wrote for her college newspaper, The Daily Texan, as well as for state and local magazines. When she's not writing, she likes to dote over her cat, sip black coffee and try out new horror movies.
See full bio
Meara Isenberg
Lyft ride sharing
James Martin/CNET

Lyft and Motional launched on Tuesday a new all-electric autonomous vehicle on the Lyft network in Las Vegas. The updated ride comes ahead of Lyft and Motional's plans to offer a fully driverless service in the city in 2023. 

The Hyundai Ioniq 5-based car (Motional is a joint venture company between Aptiv and Hyundai Motor) is designed for fully driverless ride-hail operation, according to a release. Customers will be able to unlock doors through the Lyft app. They'll also be able to start a ride or contact customer support from an app inside the car. It's also the first fully electric autonomous vehicle on the Lyft network.

Since 2018, Las Vegas Lyft riders have been able to request an autonomous vehicle, with human safety drivers along for the ride. For now, the Ioniq 5-based car will still include two safety operators.

Lyft and Motional say their planned driverless service will start in Vegas and eventually expand it to other major US cities. "Today's launch signals we're on track to deliver a fully driverless service next year," Motional CEO Iagnemma said in a statement.