Socar Launches 'Paid Autonomous Driving Service' in Jeju... Coming in First Half of the Year

[Asia Economy Reporter Buaeri] Socar announced on the 5th that it will launch a paid autonomous driving service in the first half of the year in collaboration with autonomous driving solution company RideFlux. Socar made an additional investment in RideFlux to expand synergy between the two companies.

The two companies will introduce a paid autonomous driving service using a minivan (Chrysler Pacifica) on a one-way 38km route from Jeju Airport to Jungmun Complex in the first half of this year.

This route is the longest section among the six autonomous vehicle pilot zones selected by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport in November last year. It can accommodate up to five passengers.

Since May last year, RideFlux has provided free autonomous shuttle services more than 5,400 times to Socar customers using a passenger car (Hyundai Ioniq) on a 5km round-trip route from Jeju Airport to Socar Station Jeju, accumulating technology, data, and operational know-how.

Pure autonomous driving time reached 500 hours over eight months, providing autonomous driving services interacting with other vehicles without human control even in congested traffic environments, day and night, rain, and fog conditions.

The two companies plan to expand the autonomous driving service operation area to other cities including the entire Jeju area through continuous technology development. They plan to launch services on major roads throughout Jeju (400km round-trip) and in downtown Sejong City within this year.

Socar recently made an additional investment in RideFlux, marking the second investment since July 2018. To provide fully autonomous driving services without safety personnel on board, Socar will handle the customer connection platform such as calls and demand-based vehicle dispatch efficiency, while RideFlux will enhance synergy through the development of autonomous driving software, remote monitoring, and high-precision map operation solutions.

Jaeuk Park, CEO of Socar, explained, "Mobility companies will compete seriously in the paid autonomous driving market within a few years," adding, "We will combine the service capabilities secured by Socar and Tada with RideFlux's autonomous driving solutions to achieve the best competitiveness."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.