Hyundai to Pilot Autonomous Car-Hailing Service

Hyundai Motor Group will pilot a RoboRide car-hailing service in Seoul, South Korea, utilizing IONIQ 5 battery electric vehicles (BEV) with in-house developed level 4 autonomous driving technology, announced the company.

“At Hyundai Motor Group, we are developing level 4 autonomous driving technology based on the internally developed Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS), whose functionality and safety are verified through mass production and successful commercial launch,” said Woongjun Jang, Senior Vice President and Head of the Autonomous Driving Center, Hyundai Motor.

The pilot RoboRide will be the first robotaxi to operate in Gangnam, one of the most congested areas in metropolitan Seoul. Hyundai Motor Group obtained a temporary autonomous driving operation permit from Korea’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.

Hyundai will collaborate with Korean startup Jin Mobility, which operates an artificial intelligence-powered car-hailing mobility platform called i.M. The startup will be in charge of operating both IONIQ 5 RoboRide units on its application, said Hyundai. The automaker also plans to expand the pilot service, while further developing autonomous driving technology.

“We have been strengthening our capabilities by working on research and development with relevant institutions. Starting with the RoboRide pilot service in collaboration with Hyundai Motor Group, we look forward to leading the future mobility scene,” said Lee Seong-wook, CEO, Jin Mobility.

To prepare for the complicated driving environment, Hyundai has worked with Seoul’s government to establish a system that connects traffic signals with autonomous vehicles, gathering driving data since 2019, said the company.

The RoboRide pilot service will operate until 4:00 p.m. from Monday to Friday “to minimize any possible inconveniences on the road.” The IONIQ 5 SUV, presented in Dec. 2021, will take up to three passengers on a ride, while there will be a safety driver ready to respond to any emergencies.

Through the robotaxi pilot, Hyundai expects to collect valuable autonomous driving data to further develop level 4 autonomous driving technology to navigate safely through complicated urban environments, added Jang: “We expect this RoboRide pilot service will be an important inflection point that will enable us to internalize autonomous driving technology.”

Similar efforts toward autonomy have been done in the US. Earlier this year, Alphabet's self-driving company Waymo teamed up with Chinese automaker Geely’s premium electric mobility brand, Zeekr, to launch a fully autonomous, all-electric vehicle for ride-hailing purposes, as reported by MBN.

While self-driving cars and autonomous vehicle technologies are far from being a reality in Mexico, there are companies working on R&D projects in the country. German giant Continental develops mobility, safety, connectivity and vehicle autonomy solutions at its R&D center in Queretaro. Recently, ZF Group announced the construction of its R&D center in Monterrey, where the company will work on ADAS, as reported by MBN.