"Driverless Cars Arrive"... Kia to Commercialize PV5 Remote Driving Within This Year

Strategic Collaboration with KT and S.U.M

Following Kia's successful demonstration of remote driving for the first time in Korea, the company plans to launch a remote driving service within this year.

On July 23, at its headquarters in Yangjae-dong, Kia entered into a "Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for the Promotion of Commercialization of Remote Driving Technology" with KT and SUM. The event was attended by Kang Jooyeop, Executive Vice President of New Business Planning Office at Kia; Suh Sanggyu, Senior Executive Vice President of KT Enterprise Business Division 1; and Hyun Youngjin, CEO of SUM.

Remote driving refers to technology that enables vehicles without drivers to be operated and controlled from a control center via 4G or 5G wireless networks. It is recognized as an alternative technology that enhances user convenience and provides safe mobility support in case of malfunctions or abnormalities in autonomous vehicles. Remote driving can send vehicles directly to a user's doorstep and relocate them afterward to designated spaces, helping to alleviate urban parking problems.

In November last year, utilizing its first dedicated PBV (Purpose Built Vehicle) model, the PV5, Kia successfully demonstrated remote driving on public roads for the first time in Korea.

In line with this, the three companies will cooperate with the goal of launching a PV5-based remote driving service within the year. Kia will oversee vehicle and technology development; KT will be responsible for communications infrastructure and network quality management; and SUM will manage remote driving technology and control systems.

The companies plan to further develop autonomous driving technologies using the data accumulated during remote driving service operations and continue collaboration to build an unmanned mobility ecosystem. They also intend to work together to promote the remote driving service, discover and support innovative use cases of the technology, and lay the groundwork for further business development.

On the 23rd, at the headquarters in Yangjae-dong, a commemorative photo was taken at the signing ceremony of the "Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for the Commercialization of Remote Driving Technology" with Sanggyu Seo, Senior Executive Vice President of KT Enterprise Business Division 1 (from the left), Jooyeop Kang, Executive Vice President of Kia New Business Planning Office, and Youngjin Hyun, CEO of SU&M. Hyundai Motor Company

Kia expects that these efforts will accelerate the popularization of unmanned mobility services and provide a crucial foundation for future standardization and regulatory policy-making in Korea's autonomous driving industry. Kang Jooyeop stated, "Our goal is to establish a collaborative foundation to accelerate the commercialization of remote driving technology," and added, "By building a roadmap from remote driving to full autonomy, we aim to create an unmanned vehicle ecosystem and enhance the unique value of Kia's PBVs."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.