South Korea’s largest automaker Hyundai Motor Co. and its sister company Kia Motors Corp. will test out co-developed wireless technology to navigate autonomous vehicles on roads with a goal of commercialization by 2020.

The auto companies said Tuesday that they have installed the necessary road infrastructure to test the vehicle-to-everything or V2X system - which allows vehicles to identify other vehicles, pedestrians, and roadside infrastructure - on a 14-kilometer stretch of roads across seven intersections in Hwaseong, south of Seoul.

The two automakers plan to finish testing by the end of this year and make necessary improvements. They aim to commercialize the V2X technology by 2020, the same year in which the Korean government intends to complete the installation of the necessary vehicle communications infrastructure on highways across the nation for smart driving.

To enable V2X technology, cars should be equipped with an onboard camera, radar and sensors while roads must be installed with a comprehensive infrastructure that will communicate with vehicles, including a base station that enables wireless communication, CCTV cameras that spot pedestrians and a traffic signal control unit that transmits traffic signals. The V2X technology is expected to enhance safety in driving not only conventional vehicles but also driverless cars.

The V2X technology alerts drivers of possible collisions when crossing an intersection or when a car ahead makes a sudden brake. It also lets drivers know when there is a collision risk with a pedestrian, when they are nearing a construction zone or when another car is likely to run a traffic light based on its current speed.

The Korean car makers use wireless access in vehicular environments (WAVE) technology to enable stable communication between a vehicle and roadside infrastructure at high speeds. The vehicles for the test will be mounted with a V2X display panel, head-up display, instrument cluster and navigation system, alerting the driver in the form of images or alarm sounds.

By Lee Seung-hoon

[ⓒ Pulse by Maeil Business Newspaper & mk.co.kr, All rights reserved]