Autonomous a2z, a physical artificial intelligence company, said on the 21st that the number of its vehicles granted temporary operating permits for self-driving cars has surpassed 100 on a cumulative basis.
A temporary operating permit for self-driving cars is required to run autonomous vehicles on public roads for testing and research purposes. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport grants the permits after reviewing whether safety requirements are met, and each vehicle must obtain its own permit even if it is the same model. The process is essential for verifying the safety and performance of self-driving technology in varied road environments and for accumulating driving data.
Autonomous a2z obtained its first temporary operating permit in 2018 and secured additional approvals this month, bringing its cumulative total to 101 permitted vehicles. The company crossed the 100 mark eight years after its first permit. In June 2020, it received the certificate for the 100th temporary operating permit issued nationwide to any self-driving vehicle — a separate, nationwide milestone unrelated to the company's own cumulative permit count.
Of the permitted vehicles, 14 are ROii, the company's in-house developed Level 4 driverless autonomous platform, while the remaining 87 are converted from existing vehicles. Among the converted vehicles, 17 are owned or operated by outside organizations including public agencies, companies, universities and research institutes. Autonomous a2z supported those organizations in installing self-driving systems and obtaining temporary operating permits.
By region, Sejong had the largest deployment with 26 vehicles, followed by Daegu with 13 and Anyang with 12. The company has also operated vehicles in Seoul, Goyang, Gwangju, Busan, Ulsan, Pangyo, Hwaseong and Haenam, verifying its technology across a range of road environments.
Autonomous a2z has expanded its operating conditions to include downtown streets, arterial roads and bus rapid transit (BRT) corridors, as well as late-night and early-morning hours, conducting technology verification and public services. It is also running or preparing local demonstrations in Singapore, the United Arab Emirates and Japan.
Its cumulative autonomous driving distance at home and abroad has reached 1.15 million kilometers. Driving data gathered on public roads is being used to advance Level 4 driverless technology and verify its safety.
Autonomous a2z plans to pursue the ministry's project to build a self-driving demonstration city in Gwangju, slated for this year, while expanding its domestic demonstration areas and self-driving services. It also plans to identify local demonstration and commercialization opportunities overseas to accelerate commercial rollout.
"Obtaining temporary operating permits for a cumulative 100 self-driving vehicles means more than simply adding vehicles — it means we have accumulated real autonomous driving experience across diverse regions and road environments," said Han Ji-hyung, CEO of Autonomous a2z. "We will raise the safety and maturity of our hybrid end-to-end self-driving technology so that users at home and abroad can use autonomous vehicles conveniently and safely, anytime and anywhere."