– The first in Korea to temporarily permit the operation of large autonomous trucks on public roads
– Paid autonomous vehicle cargo transport service to be launched in the second half of the year
Rideflux, a self-driving software startup, announced on the 8th that it received temporary permission from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport on the 1st to operate a 25-ton large cargo truck on urban roads autonomously.
This is the first time that a large cargo truck weighing more than 10 tons has been granted permission to drive autonomously on general roads with complex environments such as signalized and non-signalized intersections. Until now, large cargo trucks were only allowed to drive autonomously on highways and dedicated automobile roads.
Rideflux is currently discussing the timing, transportation route, and logistics items of its cargo transportation service with major domestic logistics companies and manufacturers, and plans to fully launch its paid autonomous cargo transportation service in the second half of this year.
This permit allows autonomous vehicles to drive on city roads before and after entering highways, making it possible to connect entire transport sections between logistics centers with autonomous vehicles. Rideflux sees the middle-mile freight transport market as an area where autonomous driving technology will be commercialized quickly, and plans to further accelerate the commercialization of Level 4 unmanned autonomous freight transport with this permit.
The domestic cargo transportation industry is experiencing a shortage of drivers and an aging population, and there is a gap in transportation in undesirable routes such as islands and mountainous areas. Rideflux plans to solve these problems through autonomous driving technology and contribute to improving transportation efficiency and safety.
Park Joong-hee, CEO of Rideflux, said, “This temporary operation permit on general roads is an important milestone for the commercialization of Level 4 autonomous driving technology,” and added, “We will continue to provide safe and reliable autonomous driving services by advancing technology and promoting commercialization.”
Meanwhile, Rideflux is testing Korea's first autonomous driving operation without a safety officer in the driver's seat in Sangam-dong, Seoul, and is focusing on autonomous logistics services as well as passenger services.
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