The U.S. electric vehicle company Tesla has begun its robotaxi service, intensifying competition in the autonomous unmanned taxi market. Although progress is slow, South Korea is also accelerating the nurturing of its business.
Tesla started its robotaxi service in Austin, Texas, on the 22nd (local time). The company plans to gradually expand the service area if the robotaxi pilot operation in Austin is successful. Tesla also expressed ambitions to have millions of vehicles operating throughout the United States by the second half of next year.
With Tesla entering the market, the U.S. robotaxi market is now characterized by competition among three companies: Google Waymo, Amazon Zoox, and Tesla. Waymo, which was the first to succeed in commercializing robotaxis in 2023, is operating 1,500 vehicles in major cities in California. Zoox, which is currently conducting pilot operations in some cities, began operating a dedicated robotaxi factory on the 19th, with plans to commercialize by the end of this year.
In some cities in China, robotaxi services have become commonplace. Baidu's robotaxi service "Luo Bo Kuai Pao" (Apollo Go) is available in over ten cities in China, including Beijing, Guangzhou, and Wuhan. WeRide, Pony.ai, and others are also operating hundreds of robotaxis.
South Korea is still in the stage of allowing only limited pilot operations, gradually expanding the types of vehicles, conditions, and regions. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport has proposed a "Mobility Innovation Roadmap" aimed at commercializing fully autonomous vehicles (Level 4) by 2027. Autonomous driving is categorized into levels 0 to 5 based on technology levels, with most completed vehicles currently in levels 2 to 2.5, which corresponds to partial automation.
The Seoul Metropolitan Government has completed safety verification of its late-night autonomous taxi pilot operations, which began in September last year, and expanded the operation area to all of Gangnam starting on the 16th of this month. However, there are still many restrictions regarding operating hours and the number of vehicles. Additionally, a driver must accompany the vehicles, and in back roads and child protection zones, the driver must take control.
In the second half of this year, a fully unmanned autonomous driving pilot operation will begin in Sangam-dong, Seoul, which will be the first in the country. To support high-speed autonomous driving at speeds of up to 100 km/h and long-distance autonomous driving demonstrations, national highways will be designated as autonomous vehicle pilot operation zones. Highways, unlike regular roads, were considered due to the absence of pedestrians and traffic signals and similar driving conditions by section.
Regions promoting pilot operations for unmanned buses are also increasing. Jeju Island conducted pilot operations of the autonomous driving bus "Tamra Autonomous Vehicle" on select routes from July to December last year, and after improving the service, it has been reintroduced to the roads this month. Sejong City has established a metropolitan autonomous driving bus route, aiming for commercialization of unmanned buses by 2027.
The Seoul Metropolitan Government plans to reintroduce the unmanned buses that had been suspended for some time around Gwanghwamun and Cheonggye Stream. Hyundai Motor Group's 42Dot was selected as the operator in 2022 but halted operations at the end of last year due to limited operating areas and deteriorating revenue. Currently, a new operator is being recruited.