December 01, 2024

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KG Mobility's Korando E-Motion, specifically developed for Seoul's trial of nighttime autonomous driving taxi services, drives down the street in Gangnam-gu. (KG Mobility)

KG Mobility will push for advancing autonomous driving technology based on its cooperation with companies that have core technologies in the self-driving sector, the Korean automaker said Friday.

The Korando E-Motion, the country’s first nighttime autonomous driving taxi developed by KG Mobility and SWM, a local autonomous driving startup, began its ride-hailing service in Gangnam-gu’s trial operation zone last month.

The two companies previously signed a memorandum of understanding for technological cooperation in 2022 to develop Level 4 autonomous driving technology. Level 4 autonomous driving refers to a vehicle that can operate in self-driving mode and requires no human control in most circumstances.

KG Mobility provided the Korando E-Motion’s dynamic information such as longitudinal and lateral control as well as vehicle responses while offering interface-related technologies such as vehicle control networks. SWM developed the software, hardware and sensors required for autonomous driving.

The automaker explained that the autonomous driving taxi service demands a higher level of technology than that of buses as self-driving taxis have to follow different routes depending on each passenger’s travel destination.

The nighttime autonomous driving taxi service will run through May next year in parts of Gangnam-gu and Seocho-gu and is slated to be expanded to nearby areas later on.

KG Mobility plans to continue working with SWM to expand the service region and introduce different models for the nighttime autonomous driving taxi service. The company also participated in the state task of reenacting a Level 4 autonomous driving system’s malfunction and developing integrated safety certification technology last year and has been working on that project.

“We expect to upgrade the level of the passengers’ safe driving experience and convenience through the development of autonomous driving technology being on par with Level 4,” said a KG Mobility official.

“For perfectly autonomous driving, in particular, technology that can control numerous unexpected variables on the road must also be secured, so we will continue to advance autonomous driving technology based on cooperation with specialized companies in many fields.”

By Kan Hyeong-woo (hwkan@heraldcorp.com)