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Hyundai: going Gangnam Style in Seoul

NCR Hyundai Gangnam

Hyundai Motor Group (HMG) has announced that it will pilot a RoboRide car-hailing service in Seoul, South Korea, utilising IONIQ 5 battery electric vehicles with in-house developed level 4 autonomous driving technology. The pilot RoboRide will be the first car-hailing service with autonomous driving vehicles to operate in Gangnam, one of the most congested areas in metropolitan Seoul.

For the pilot service, the HMG has obtained a temporary autonomous driving operation permit from the regulators, and it will collaborate with Jin Mobility, who will be in charge of operating the two IONIQ 5 RoboRide units on its i.M application. HMG also plans to expand the pilot service, while further developing autonomous driving technology with consideration for various conditions, such as driving stability.

“At Hyundai Motor Group, we are developing level 4 autonomous driving technology based on the internally developed ADAS, whose functionally and safety are verified through mass production and successful commercial launch,” said Woongjun Jang, Senior Vice President and Head of the Autonomous Driving Centre of HMG. “We expect this RoboRide pilot service will be an important inflection point that will enable us to internalise autonomous driving technology.”

Through this pilot, HMG expects to collect valuable autonomous driving data and plans to further develop the level 4 autonomous driving technology to navigate safely and flexibly in complicated urban environments. In preparation, it has also worked with Seoul authorities to establish a system that can connect traffic signals with autonomous vehicles. It has also gathered copious driving data since 2019 by testing autonomous driving in Gangnam area.

In addition, HMG will provide an in-house developed remote vehicle assist system to ensure safety. The system monitors autonomous driving status, vehicle and route, and supports the trip with remote assist functions, such as changing the lane under circumstances where autonomous driving is not feasible. Based on the level 4 autonomous driving technology, a RoboRide vehicle will perceive, make decisions, and control its own driving status, while its safety driver will only intervene under limited conditions.

HMG plans to operate an initial demonstration service for internally selected personnel, and then expand the pilot service targets to general customers in the future.

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