Kia "Remote Driving Consortium" Achieves Korea's First Successful Public Road Demonstration

On November 27, Kia became the first domestic automaker to successfully demonstrate remote driving on public roads during the 'Remote Driving Demonstration Results Sharing Meeting' held in Jeju Island.

Remote driving is a technology that enables the operation and control of driverless vehicles from an external control center using 4G or 5G wireless networks. The technology is highly advanced, allowing for rapid service deployment, and serves as an alternative solution in the event of malfunctions or anomalies in autonomous vehicles. It can be integrated with various mobility services and used as a solution to support transportation-disadvantaged areas.

Kia held a 'Remote Driving Demonstration Performance Sharing Meeting' on the 27th in Jeju Island, attended by key stakeholders including Socar, the autonomous driving startup SUM, KT, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, Jeju Special Self-Governing Province, the National Police Agency, and the Korea Transportation Safety Authority, where they disclosed the current status of remote driving technology development. Kia

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After receiving a regulatory sandbox demonstration exemption for remote driving from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport in April, Kia formed a 'Remote Driving Consortium' with Socar, the autonomous driving startup SUM, and KT. Kia oversaw the project, Socar provided the car-sharing platform, SUM was responsible for developing the remote solution and operating the demonstration vehicles, and KT handled the establishment and management of the network required for remote driving.

The consortium envisioned a scenario for operating a car-sharing service and developed a new remote driving system based on Kia's mid-sized purpose-built vehicle (PBV), the PV5. To ensure effective response in unexpected situations such as degraded or lost communication, the consortium established a dual communication network. Multiple safety measures were implemented, including training remote driving operators and introducing an emergency dispatch system.

After completing the first phase of internal pre-testing, the second phase involved a month-long test using the PV5 and other vehicles, covering approximately 70 hours and 1,000 kilometers of driving on public roads in Jeju, including routes such as Jeju Airport to Jeju Socar Terminal and Jeju Airport to Yongduam.

Kia held a 'Remote Driving Demonstration Results Sharing Meeting' on the 27th in Jeju Island, attended by key stakeholders including Socar, autonomous driving startup SUM, KT, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, Jeju Special Self-Governing Province, the National Police Agency, and the Korea Transportation Safety Authority, where they disclosed the current status of remote driving technology development. Kia

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The consortium plans to utilize the various data obtained from the Jeju demonstration project to further enhance its technological capabilities. Additionally, it intends to collaborate with multiple local governments to continuously verify the effectiveness of remote driving using the PV5.

The event was attended by key stakeholders, including the consortium, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, Jeju Special Self-Governing Province, the National Police Agency, and the Korea Transportation Safety Authority. Attendees experienced the technological safety of the PV5-based remote driving demonstration vehicle firsthand.

A Kia representative stated, "Remote driving technology can be linked to services that reach out to areas with weak public infrastructure, such as transportation-disadvantaged regions, thereby enhancing everyday convenience. We expect that, in the future, the technology can be expanded and applied not only to the public sector but also to various industries such as car sharing and logistics."

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