"Autonomous Taxis in Gangnam... Open to Public Rides from August" Hyundai Motor Company and Seoul City Pilot Project

Hyundai Motor Company has started a Level 4 autonomous driving vehicle call demonstration service based on the dedicated electric vehicle Ioniq 5 from the 9th.

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Dae-yeol] Companies and local governments are collaborating to demonstrate autonomous driving technology that allows vehicles to pick up and transport passengers on complex urban roads by themselves.

Hyundai Motor Company and Kia announced that starting from the 9th, they will conduct a pilot service called RoboRide using vehicles equipped with Level 4 autonomous driving technology in the Gangnam-gu and Seocho-gu areas of Seoul. Level 4 autonomous driving means the vehicle system can independently drive by monitoring the surrounding environment and handle emergencies without driver intervention.

The pilot service area includes some of the most congested roads in Seoul, such as Yeongdong-daero (14 lanes total), Teheran-ro, and Gangnam-daero (10 lanes total). Various types of traffic, including passenger cars, buses, trucks, and motorcycles, mix in these areas, requiring careful attention even when driven by humans.

Previously, Hyundai Motor Company and Kia received temporary operation permits for autonomous vehicles from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. Since 2019, Seoul has prepared infrastructure that allows traffic signals to communicate with autonomous vehicles and has been accumulating driving data through tests in the Gangnam area. The company operates its own control system service, monitoring vehicle status and routes in real-time, and remotely assists with lane changes in challenging situations such as construction zones or child protection areas.

Two electric Ioniq 5 vehicles will be deployed for this pilot service. Jin Mobility, which operates the vehicle-hailing platform I.M, will manage the service operations. The service will run on weekdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., avoiding rush hours, with one emergency driver seated in the driver's seat. After a pilot operation with a customer experience group, the service plans to expand to general customers as early as August. To commemorate the event, Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Won Hee-ryong and Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon took the first rides.

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