– Test operation of level 4 autonomous driving… Free service for the general public in August at the earliest
In collaboration with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport, Seoul and Hyundai Motor Company, 'Level 4' autonomous vehicle pilot operation is carried out in crowded cities such as Teheran-ro and Gangnam-daero in Gangnam, Seoul.
After this trial operation, the service will be released free of charge so that anyone can experience it in August at the earliest, and make reservations, call vehicles, and specify routes through mobile applications.
Minister of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport Won Hee-ryong participated in the 'Autonomous Driving Robot Ride Test Start Event' held by Hyundai Motor Company on the 9th at the Hyundai Autoever office building in Gangnam, Seoul to encourage researchers and test-drive the autonomous driving Roboride.
Minister Won and Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon pre-checked autonomous driving technology and safety in preparation for the release of services to the general public at the event. In addition, they promised joint cooperation to commercialize self-driving public transportation in 2025 and open the era of level 2027 fully autonomous driving in 4.
In February, an autonomous vehicle called through a dedicated smartphone app called 'TAP!' is in operation in Sangam-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul, a test run zone for self-driving cars. (Photo = copyright holder (c) Yonhap News, unauthorized reproduction-redistribution prohibited)
Through this pilot operation, it is expected that autonomous driving technology will be demonstrated in downtown Seoul, the most congested area in the world, and one step closer to Level 4 fully autonomous driving.
Currently, level 3 technology for autonomous driving on highways or car-only roads has been commercialized, but level 4 or higher autonomous driving technology is being developed and demonstrated by countries around the world.
Accordingly, Korea also plans to start the demonstration of Level 4 technology in Gangnam, Seoul, which is a representative congestion section, and to commercialize Level 2027 fully autonomous driving in 4 by gradually expanding it.
Autonomous driving 'Roboride', introduced in the test run, collaborates with Jin Mobility, an AI mobility platform company, to provide future mobility services combined with autonomous driving in a way that people can feel.
In particular, the autonomous Roboride vehicle can change lanes, turn left/right, and make a U-turn on its own in a road situation where pedestrians and large buses are mixed.
In order to support the creation of autonomous driving mobility services such as this one, MOLIT has been proactively improving systems, building infrastructure, and supporting technology development and demonstration.
A temporary operation permit system was prepared so that autonomous vehicles can run on roads across the country to develop technology, and the Self-Driving Vehicle Act was implemented in May 2020 to designate pilot operation districts so that various autonomous driving services can be experimented with.
In addition, we plan to continuously expand our full support so that people can experience autonomous driving in their daily life. The autonomous driving pilot zone, which currently has seven designated areas, will be expanded to more than one per city/province by 7, including the Gangnam area of Seoul.
It is also planning to switch to a negative system that allows trial runs in all areas except for specific areas so that autonomous driving services can be used anywhere in the country.
In order to ensure that there is no difficulty in developing new technologies, we will implement consumer-oriented regulatory innovation and expand support for autonomous driving companies such as research infrastructure to promote private-led mobility innovation.
In addition, by building maps with C-ITS infrastructure and precision throughout the country, autonomous vehicles can be safely driven, and government-wide R&D worth KRW 4 trillion will continue to advance the era of level 1 or higher autonomous driving.
Classification of autonomous driving stages.
MOLIT Minister Won Hee-ryong said, “As the MOLIT Minister, I will take care of the self-driving companies in Korea so that they can stand shoulder to shoulder with and cooperate with global big tech companies.”
He continued, “The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport will take the lead so that future mobility becomes a part of our people’s daily lives. They will also be announced sequentially,” he added.