Hyundai Motor to Launch 'Level 3' G90 in Second Half of This Year... Minister of Industry Says "Will Foster Future Car Ecosystem"

Ministry of Industry Holds 'Industry-Academia-Research Meeting for Autonomous Driving Industry Development'
Minister Moon Seung-wook "Goal to Secure Autonomous Driving Technology by 2027"

The new G90 introduced by Hyundai Motor Company at the end of last year.
[Photo by Asia Economy DB]

[Asia Economy Sejong=Reporter Lee Junhyung] Hyundai Motor Company will launch the country's first 'Level 3' autonomous vehicle in the second half of this year. This is the result of the government's 'Development Project for 9 Core Autonomous Driving Components' initiated in 2017.

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy announced on the 28th that it held the 'Autonomous Driving Industry Development Industry-Academia-Research Roundtable.' More than 20 experts from industry, academia, and research, including Minister Moon Seung-wook of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, Hyundai Motor Company, and Hyundai Mobis, attended the meeting.

This roundtable was held to discuss the development of the domestic autonomous driving industry ahead of Hyundai Motor's launch of a Level 3 autonomous vehicle. Hyundai plans to release the 2023 model G90 equipped with Level 3 autonomous driving technology in the second half of this year. Level 3 refers to conditional autonomous driving where the driver can take their hands off the steering wheel while the vehicle maintains distance from the car ahead.

Since 2017 until last year, the government invested 145.5 billion KRW in the development project for 9 core components to support autonomous vehicle development. Through this project, 120 domestic and international patents related to core components such as cameras, radar, and LiDAR were registered or filed. By last year, commercialization achievements worth 84.5 billion KRW were made, including radar (81.4 billion KRW) and LiDAR (1.3 billion KRW). The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy plans to secure Level 4 autonomous driving technology by 2027 according to the autonomous driving roadmap.

Minister Moon Seung-wook Visits Samcheok LNG Base Site
(Seoul=Yonhap News) Moon Seung-wook, Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy, visited the Korea Gas Corporation's Samcheok LNG base located in Samcheok City, Gangwon Province, on the 16th. He boarded a vehicle to inspect the site. March 18, 2022
[Provided by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. Resale and DB prohibited]
photo@yna.co.kr
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The Level 3 hydrogen bus developed through government support projects is also expected to begin actual operation as early as next month. From 2019 to last year, the Ministry invested 21.7 billion KRW to support the development of autonomous hydrogen buses. The Korea Automotive Technology Institute led the development, with participation from Hyundai Motor Company and Hyundai Mobis. The autonomous hydrogen bus plans to receive temporary operation approval around the end of next month and start demonstration on the BRT road in Sejong City.

Meanwhile, the autonomous driving industry pointed out at the roundtable that expanding testbeds is necessary to spread the adoption of autonomous vehicles. Academia emphasized the urgent need to nurture developers for future vehicle system software (SW). The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy stated that it will continue to discover customized policies and prepare follow-up measures for existing future vehicle policies.

Minister Moon said, “Autonomous driving technology is not simply a technology to enhance vehicle performance but a technology to solve social challenges,” adding, “It is a highly advanced technology that guarantees public safety, and since even advanced countries have not yet fully secured it, now is the opportunity.” He continued, “With the goal of securing Level 4 technology by 2027, please actively develop the technological capabilities accumulated so far,” and added, “The government will also foster the future vehicle ecosystem through expanding digital infrastructure and nurturing specialized personnel.”

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