Hyundai Motor and Kia Expand Gangnam RoboRide Pilot Service with Kakao Mobility

Level 4 Autonomous Driving Technology Advancement through Demonstration Project with Kakao Mobility
Securing Autonomous Driving Data and Validating Service Platform via Operations in Seoul Gangnam Area

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunseok Yoo] Hyundai Motor Company and Kia are accelerating demonstration projects to advance Level 4 autonomous driving technology.

On the 10th, Hyundai Motor Company and Kia announced that they will expand the operation of the autonomous driving car-hailing pilot service "RoboRide," currently operating in the Gangnam area of Seoul, in collaboration with Kakao Mobility.

This pilot service is the first autonomous driving demonstration project jointly launched by Hyundai Motor Company, Kia, and Kakao Mobility. Hyundai Motor Company and Kia will add more vehicles to the RoboRide pilot service operating in the Gangnam area and introduce a service linked with Kakao Mobility’s KakaoT platform.

Through this, they plan to secure additional autonomous driving data in urban areas and verify the platform to provide stable autonomous driving services in the future.

Hyundai Motor Company and Kia will first operate the RoboRide service for an experience group composed of employees to advance autonomous driving technology. Selected employees can call and use RoboRide vehicles through the KakaoT app. They also plan to expand the service to general customers in the future and gradually widen the service area to Dosan-daero and Apgujeong-ro in Gangnam.

Jang Woong-jun, Executive Vice President and Head of the Autonomous Driving Business Division at Hyundai Motor Company and Kia, said, “We are very excited to launch the autonomous driving pilot service for the first time in collaboration with Kakao Mobility,” adding, “We will continue to strive so that customers can experience safer and more convenient autonomous driving technology on various platforms.”

Jang Sung-wook, Vice President of Kakao Mobility’s Future Mobility Research Institute, said, “Gangnam is considered one of the most advanced urban environments worldwide, and through collaboration with Hyundai Motor Company and Kia, we can accelerate the development of urban autonomous driving technology,” adding, “We will work hard to ensure that the platform technology accumulated by Kakao Mobility contributes to the commercialization of autonomous driving services.”

Meanwhile, Hyundai Motor Company and Kia first introduced RoboRide in the Gangnam area of Seoul in June in collaboration with Jin Mobility. So far, over 1,000 employees have signed up for the RoboRide service to demonstrate autonomous driving technology in an urban environment.

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