Self-driving vehicles will begin operating on the streets of Gwangju on Nov. 30.
The integrated special city of South Jeolla Province and Gwangju, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, and participating companies are set to launch an autonomous vehicle pilot across five autonomous districts in Gwangju that day.
The project aims to expose self-driving cars to complex, real-world road and traffic conditions to improve the technology's maturity.
The city has been working with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, the Korea Transportation Safety Authority and participating companies to prepare for the pilot, including vehicle manufacturing and modification, operational support, and the establishment of a 24-hour accident response system.
Hyundai Motor Company plans to manufacture and deliver 200 software-defined vehicles, of which 67 have been delivered so far.
Autonomous driving technology developers — including Hyundai Motor, Autonomous a2z and Ride Flux — are equipping the delivered vehicles with sensors and autonomous driving systems.
Ride Flux applied last week for a temporary operating permit for its first vehicle.
If the process proceeds as planned, about 120 self-driving vehicles are expected to be deployed on public roads by year's end.
The initial pilot will focus on wide roads in outlying areas with light traffic. Operating zones will then expand in stages to include side streets and other areas after technical verification.
Specific routes and vehicle deployment schedules will be announced to residents as they are confirmed.
An integrated operations center to monitor the location and status of pilot vehicles in real time will open Tuesday at the Gwangju Future Mobility Promotion Institute.
Office space for participating companies has also been prepared. A dedicated parking facility with 205 spaces and electric vehicle charging infrastructure will be built this month.
Before deploying the vehicles, the city plans to conduct simulation drills with police and fire department personnel to test its accident response system.
To prevent public confusion and ensure a safe traffic environment, the city will produce and distribute informational content covering vehicle appearance, operating routes, safety precautions and procedures for responding to accidents.
"We will make sure residents have enough information about the vehicles so that self-driving cars feel familiar rather than foreign, and we will support the pilot project so it can drive the development of the region's future mobility industry," said Park Jeong-hwan, director of the integrated city's AI Mobility Bureau.
sij@heraldcorp.com
