Motional

Motional is a leading autonomous vehicle (AV) technology company focused on developing and commercializing driverless vehicles for ride-hail and delivery services. Founded in 2020 as a joint venture between Hyundai Motor Group and Aptiv, Motional aims to make driverless vehicles a safe, reliable, and accessible reality. The company has developed a fully integrated Level 4 autonomous driving system for its all-electric IONIQ 5 robotaxis. Motional's technology leverages over 30 sensors, including LiDAR, radar, and cameras, to provide 360-degree vision and redundant coverage for safe operation in diverse environments.

As of 2024, Motional has conducted over 100,000 autonomous rides through its public robotaxi service in Las Vegas. The company had initially planned to launch a commercial robotaxi service using driverless Hyundai IONIQ 5 vehicles in 2024. However, in May 2024, Motional announced it was pausing commercial operations and delaying its robotaxi service launch until 2026 as part of a strategic restructuring. This restructuring also involved laying off approximately 550 employees, about 40% of its workforce, to focus resources on core technology development. In the same month, Hyundai increased its ownership stake in Motional to about 85% through additional investments totaling nearly USD 1 billion, while Aptiv reduced its stake to around 15%.