- Live pilot program uses Kia’s PV5 electric vans
- Remote tele-operators return vehicles to a depot after use
- The technology is designed to ease the burden on large fleet operators
Kia has launched South Korea’s first remotely operated car-sharing trial in the Pangyo Techno Valley region, allowing customers to have a vehicle delivered to their location without a driver.
The company’s PV5 electric vans are being used in the pilot trials, where operators stationed remotely can take over control of the vehicle and drive it to a location without a human behind the wheel.
Similarly, it allows car-sharing customers to leave the vehicle at their destination and have a remote operator drive it back to the depot for servicing and charging.
The pilot program is the result of a consortium between Socar, KT, Kia and autonomous driving startup SUM, which has now moved to a stage where the companies involved are looking to commercialize the technology.
According to the Korean Herald, the system enables operators at external centers to control unoccupied vehicles over 4G or 5G networks. A simple app interface provides booking, payment, and support.
To avoid any network connectivity failures, the consortium reportedly established a triple-network system, which is paired with operator training and emergency response measures.
According to those involved, using existing telecommunications infrastructure and conventional vehicles makes the setup less costly than fully autonomous systems.
Kia says that remote vehicle operation helps reduce the burden on large car-sharing fleet operators, negating the logistical headaches involved in moving various vehicles around and giving customers greater freedom to collect and return cars at a location of their choosing.
The automotive company also says this technology can support mobility in areas with “limited transport infrastructure and everyday convenience services.”
Analysis: bad news for valets
In 2024, BMW unveiled a similar tele-operated technology, dubbed, quite predictably, automated valet parking (AVP) solutions, at the Consumer Electronics Show.
A joint effort between the German automotive giant and Tier 1 supplier Valeo, the system let remote valet-parking experts take control of any connected BMW and help it find a space.
I tried the tech out in the parking lot of the Las Vegas Convention Center, remotely controlling one of the marque’s latest iX models and guiding it around cones using a fairly standard gaming wheel and pedals, plus large televisions and a couple of touchscreens.
At the time, BMW and Valeo saw it as a logical failsafe while vehicles autonomously hunted for cars and parked themselves in designated areas.
It would allow customers to leave their vehicle at a drop-off zone in busy destinations, such as airports and shopping malls, then have the vehicle hunt for a space itself using onboard driving technology.
If the vehicle ran into trouble, a remote operator could take control and guide it safely to a suitable spot.
BMW hasn’t launched a public tele-operation pilot program yet, but Kia’s latest move could encourage more companies to explore similar solutions.
Elon Musk once stated that all Teslas would be capable of fully autonomous driving, able to go off and earn their owners' money as they spent the day moonlighting as a Robotaxi.
That hasn’t happened yet, but remote tele-operation feels like the logical stepping stone towards exploiting the autonomous capabilities of connected cars and software-defined vehicles.
Drivers can stay in control for most of the journey, where it really matters, yet still use autonomous valet parking when they arrive, with a trained human ensuring everything runs smoothly.