South Korea’s first driverless vehicle, dubbed “Zero Shuttle”, will soon be tested on the roads of Seongnam City after it passes the last stages of its safety inspection. (Image: Gyeonggi Province)
UIJEONGBU, Dec. 7 (Korea Bizwire) – South Korea’s first driverless vehicle, dubbed “Zero Shuttle”, will soon be tested on the roads of Seongnam City after it passes the last stages of its safety inspection.
Gyeonggi Province stated that it is aiming for a road test before the end of this year, and that the Korea Transportation Safety Authority is in the process of administering safety checks which are applied to all vehicles.
Once approved, Zero Shuttle will be bestowed with a temporary driving permit accompanied by a temporary license plate.
Zero Shuttle’s battery already passed safety inspections on December 1.
Requested by the provincial government and built by the Advanced Institutes of Convergence Technology, the autonomous vehicle looks like a minibus and can carry 11 passengers. Zero Shuttle will run a 5.5 km loop from the Pangyo Zero City entrance to Pangyo Station at a speed of 25 km/h.
A self-driving vehicle specialist said as long as flaws are not detected during the safety inspections, road tests should be possible before the end of the year. (Image: Gyeonggi Province)
A self-driving vehicle specialist said as long as flaws are not detected during the safety inspections, road tests should be possible before the end of the year.
Other matters that the provincial government has deemed necessary to take care of are a new set of traffic signals and information pamphlets for riders.
Through negotiations with the Korean National Police Agency, 12 traffic control boxes located at intersections where Zero Shuttle would pass through were replaced last month.
The information pamphlets provide details on the rights and responsibilities of the riders, especially should there be an accident, and details of insurance policies.
Insurance products tailored for self-driving vehicles are currently being developed.
Kevin Lee (kevinlee@koreabizwire.com)
