RideFlux Targets Autonomous Freight Transport Market

Development of 25t Autonomous Trucks for Paid Cargo Transport Between Gunsan and Jeonju Underway

Autonomous driving software startup RideFlux announced on the 15th that it is targeting the autonomous driving freight transportation market. RideFlux is a tech startup that last month became the first in Korea to obtain a temporary unmanned autonomous driving operation permit allowing driving at speeds up to 50 km/h without a driver in the driver's seat. Since its establishment in 2018, it has been operating autonomous driving public services stably in various road environments such as congested urban general roads and highways.

RideFlux Autonomous Driving Truck

Based on this technological capability, RideFlux plans to enter the freight transportation market following its passenger services. In May, RideFlux won a contract from the Korea Automotive Technology Institute (JIAT) to supply autonomous driving trucks and is currently developing a 25-ton autonomous driving truck. This autonomous driving truck will be deployed for paid freight transportation services on a 61.3 km route between Gunsan Port and Jeonju Logistics Center. The route includes not only highways with speed limits over 80 km/h but also congested general roads in downtown Jeonju, requiring a high level of autonomous driving performance.

On the 18th of last month, RideFlux signed a memorandum of understanding with the Korea Expressway Corporation to operate a pilot zone for autonomous driving vehicles on highways. This agreement was prepared in accordance with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport’s plan to designate pilot zones for autonomous driving vehicles on highways for long-distance and wide-area freight transportation routes. The two parties will actively cooperate to verify the safety and efficiency of autonomous driving freight transportation services within the highway pilot zones and to promote the autonomous driving industry utilizing highways.

RideFlux plans to start paid freight transportation services this year on routes connecting logistics complexes in the metropolitan and central regions in cooperation with domestic logistics companies once new highway autonomous driving vehicle pilot zones are designated. Park Jung-hee, CEO of RideFlux, said, “The freight transportation market is a market where autonomous driving technology can be commercialized more rapidly,” and added, “We will do our best to provide the safest and most reliable autonomous driving in the freight transportation market as well.”

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