Kakao Mobility, Hyundai Motor sign MOU for self-driving taxi service

Kakao Mobility and Hyundai Motor signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on Monday for a self-driving taxi service.

With the signing of the deal, users will be able to call Hyundai’s RoboRide, a driverless taxi, via Kakao Mobility’s Kakao T taxi-hailing app, according to Kakao Mobility. The test service will be available before the end of the year.

RoboRide, operated by Hyundai Motor, is a ride-hailing service using an Ioniq 5 electric vehicle with Level 4 autonomous driving capabilities. A Level 4 autonomous car is able to operate on its own but may require human intervention.

Hyundai Motor has been offering the RoboRide pilot service to the public since August in Gangnam District, southern Seoul, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday to Friday.

Kakao Mobility said that the collaboration will be the cornerstone for the self-driving taxi service to go beyond the test operation stage to the actual marketing of the service. Hyundai Motor and Kakao T hope to work together on other self-driving projects, expanding the service to various types of vehicles.

“Through the MOU, we expect Hyundai Motor’s autonomous driving technology to be available to a bigger number of customers via Kakao Mobility’s platform,” said Jang Woong-jun, senior vice president and head of the autonomous driving center at Hyundai Motor.

“The two companies will actively work together so that customers will be able to use RoboRide in everyday life more easily.”

“As this MOU is a cooperation between companies that are at the top of each sector in Korea, it will be an opportunity for the local self-driving market to take a step forward,” said Chang Sung-wook, managing director of Kakao Mobility’s future research lab.

BY SHIN HA-NEE [shin.hanee@joongang.co.kr]