Hyundai Motor will begin pilot operation of its RoboShuttle service in the Sejong Smart City of South Korea, starting 9 August. Named after a combination of 'Robot' and 'Shuttle', the high-occupancy service vehicle is equipped with artificial intelligence (AI) and autonomous driving capabilities.
The demand-responsive shuttle service will be conducted using Hyundai H350 light commercial, four-door van and it will operate along a 6.1-km route in the Korean city, with 20 stops for passengers along the way. The vehicle's self-driving technology has a range of Level 4-comparable core technologies and has been developed in-house. The H350 shuttle van has also procured a temporary operation permit of 'autonomous driving Level 3' from the South Korean government.
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The shuttle can perceive its surroundings, make decisions, and also control itself whilst on the road, thus requiring minimal intervention from a safety driver. To avail the Hyundai shuttle service, passengers will be able to make a request for a ride using 'Shucle' app on their smartphones. Once a request has been made, the self-driving shuttle will find its way to the pick-up point by calculating the best path using AI algorithms.
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Shucle App and Hyundai RoboShuttle will together provide the first ride-pooling service in South Korea. The shared mobility solution is expected to make public transportation more efficient in the region as the vehicle will only stop at pick-up and drop-off points that have been pre-selected by passengers via the app. Shucle, named after ‘Shuttle’ and ‘Circle’, is a demand-responsive mobility service running in the, and launched by AIRS Company.
Following the pilot RoboShuttle service and based on the experience derived form it, Hyundai will expand the service to other areas of the country. The service points will also include the Hyundai Motor and Kia Namyang Research and Development Center, in the second half of this year.
