Hyundai Motor (005380.KS) and Kia (000270.KS) will verify the reliability and operational stability of Level 4 self-driving trucks in real logistics environments as a step toward commercialization.
The two automakers said on the 20th that they signed a memorandum of understanding with Hyundai Mobis (012330.KS), Hyundai Glovis (086280.KS), Mars Auto and RideFlux at the Namyang Technology Research Center in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, for a demonstration project involving Level 4 self-driving trucks in logistics transport. Level 4 refers to fully driverless autonomous driving, in which no human intervention is required under specified conditions.
Under the agreement, the partners will operate Level 4 heavy-duty self-driving trucks on logistics routes held by Hyundai Motor Group to verify vehicle control technology and how well it integrates with autonomous driving systems, while gathering demonstration data needed for future commercialization.
Hyundai Motor and Kia have begun developing two demonstration vehicles — one Xcient hydrogen fuel cell truck and one Xcient truck — and plan to deploy them early next year. Each will be fitted with a customized controller and vehicle interface to link with autonomous driving systems.
Full-scale testing will run through the end of next year across two transport environments: a roughly 100-kilometer mixed highway and urban route, and a roughly 400-kilometer long-distance route centered on highways.
Mars Auto and RideFlux, two South Korean autonomous driving software companies, will install their systems on the respective vehicles, while Hyundai Mobis and Hyundai Glovis will support the demonstration using logistics routes already in operation.
Through the project, Hyundai Motor and Kia plan to pursue in-house advance development alongside collaboration with outside specialists, building expertise in linking autonomous driving systems with vehicle control technology and securing base technology that can accommodate a range of autonomous driving systems.
The companies will also use the data collected to advance vehicle control and safety redundancy technology for Level 4 heavy-duty self-driving trucks. Safety redundancy allows a backup system to take over a function when part of the primary system fails, keeping the vehicle in a safe state. It is a core element in securing autonomous driving safety for heavy-duty trucks, which log a high share of long-distance and nighttime operation.
"Self-driving trucks are a key future mobility technology that can improve the safety and efficiency of logistics transport," said Park Sang-hyun, executive vice president in charge of commercial vehicle life cycle management (LCM) at Hyundai Motor and Kia. "Through this partnership, we will secure the vehicle control technology and operational data needed for real logistics environments, and step by step build the technological foundation for commercializing Level 4 heavy-duty self-driving trucks."
Separately, Hyundai Motor and Kia signed an agreement with the Seoul Metropolitan Government on the 1st to commercialize Level 4 self-driving city buses and build an industry ecosystem, and are developing dedicated vehicles and a control platform. Together with the heavy-duty truck logistics demonstration, the moves expand the companies' commercial autonomous driving technology and operational capabilities across both buses and trucks.