Hyundai launches autonomous RoboRide service in Seoul, South Korea

Hyundai has unveiled its RoboRide self-driving taxi service in the Gangnam district of ​​Seoul, South Korea. The first cars equipped with Level 4 autopilot (out of 5) were Hyundai Ioniq 5. But at the initial stage, there is a person behind the wheel in the car who controls the situation.

The mayor of Seoul and another city official became the first passengers of the new taxi service. They were taken along the working route, where the movement of such vehicles is allowed. At the moment, there are no details about when Hyundai plans to remove the person who controls the operation of the autopilot system from the cabin. Ioniq 5 unmanned vehicles can carry up to three passengers at the same time.

The RoboRide service based on Hyundai in Korea will be available only to employees of the company at the start. The call is made using the i.M app, similar to those used by Waymo or Cruise. The i.M app was developed by Jin Mobility. There is no word on how long this pilot RoboRide service will be running in Korea. The company sees this milestone as a major watershed as it continues to roll out autonomous driving technologies.

There are twenty-five districts in Seoul, and RoboRide only operates in one. This is because traffic lights in other areas cannot yet communicate with unmanned vehicles. The data that will be collected as part of the pilot program will help Hyundai in the production of new self-driving vehicles.