June 10, 2022

Hyundai Starts Driverless Car-Hailing Service in South Korea


Hyundai is ready to pilot a RoboRide driverless car-hailing service in the posh district of Gangnam. Using the Ioniq 5 battery electric vehicle, these Level 4-equipped autonomous driving vehicles will operate in one of the most congested areas of South Korea’s capital city.

Based on the level 4 autonomous driving technology, a vehicle will perceive, make decisions, and control its own driving status, while its safety driver will only intervene under limited conditions.

For the pilot service, Hyundai has obtained a temporary autonomous driving operation permit from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT) of Korea. It will collaborate with Jin Mobility, a Korean startup operating the artificial intelligence (AI)-powered car-hailing mobility platform ‘i.M.’. Jin Mobility will be in charge of operating the two IONIQ 5 RoboRide units on its i.M application. The Group also plans to expand the pilot service, while further developing autonomous driving technology with consideration for various conditions, such as driving stability.

Hyundai says the Level 4 autonomous driving technology is based on the internally developed Advanced Driving Support System (ADAS), whose functionally and safety are verified through its mass production vehicles.

Through this pilot, the Korean automaker expects to collect valuable autonomous driving data and plans to further develop the technology to navigate safely and flexibly in complicated urban environments.

To prepare for such a complicated driving environment, Hyundai has also worked with Seoul Metropolitan Government to establish a system that can connect traffic signals with autonomous vehicles. It has also gathered copious driving data since 2019 by testing autonomous driving in the Gangnam area.

Hyundai will also provide an in-house developed remote vehicle assist system to ensure safety. The system monitors autonomous driving status, vehicle and route, and supports the trip with remote assist functions, such as changing the lane under circumstances where autonomous driving is not feasible.

The RoboRide pilot service will operate from 10 AM to 4 PM from Monday to Friday, to minimize any possible inconveniences on the road. Up to three passengers can be on a ride, whereas a safety driver will be in the vehicle to respond to any emergencies. The Group plans to operate an initial demonstration service for internally selected personnel, and then expand the pilot service targets to general customers in the future.

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