The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said on the 13th that a pilot project will be launched to collect Autonomous Driving data as 200 cars made by Hyundai Motor run through downtown Gwangju starting in the second half. The goal is to achieve Level 4 Autonomous Driving next year.
Level 4, the stage just before full Autonomous Driving, allows operation in designated areas without any intervention by a driver or passenger. Korea's technology level remains around Level 2.5 to Level 3. Level 3 does not require the driver to keep eyes on the road, but it is conditional Autonomous Driving in which the driver must intervene when requested by the system.
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT) held the "Republic of Korea Autonomous Driving Team MOU signing ceremony" on the morning of the 13th at the Kim Dae-jung Convention Center in Gwangju and stated accordingly. The Autonomous Driving team includes Hyundai Motor Group, domestic Autonomous Driving companies Autonomous a2z and RideFlux, Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance, the Korea Transportation Safety Authority, and the city of Gwangju. Earlier, Gwangju was designated as a project zone for building a citywide Autonomous Driving demonstration city.
Hyundai Motor will deploy 200 software-defined vehicles (SDVs) for the Autonomous Driving pilot project. An SDV is a car that manages vehicle operations through onboard software and can add new features. Hyundai Motor, Autonomous a2z, and RideFlux will each load their separately developed Autonomous Driving technology software into the SDVs.
The Autonomous Driving cars will drive on roads in downtown Gwangju within the second half and collect Autonomous Driving data. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT) said, "The goal is to achieve Level 4 Autonomous Driving next year."
Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance will develop Autonomous Driving-only insurance products and handle emergency dispatch and cause analysis in the event of an accident. The city of Gwangju will provide infrastructure support such as depots and charging facilities, and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT) will provide overarching support for policy, systems, and administration. The Korea Transportation Safety Authority (TS) will conduct project management and performance verification for around-the-clock pilot operations.