25-Ton Large Cargo Trucks to Operate Autonomously on Urban Public Roads

RideFlux Receives Temporary Permit for Autonomous Operation of Large Cargo Trucks on Urban Roads
Aims to Launch Paid Autonomous Freight Transport Service in the Second Half of the Year

RideFlux, an autonomous driving software startup, announced on May 8 that it has received a temporary permit from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport to operate a 25-ton large cargo truck autonomously on urban public roads.

This marks the first time that a large cargo truck with a total weight of over 10 tons has been granted permission to operate autonomously on public roads with complex environments, such as signalized and non-signalized intersections. Until now, large cargo trucks were only allowed to operate autonomously on highways and expressways.

RideFlux is currently negotiating with major domestic logistics and manufacturing companies regarding the timing of freight transport services, transport routes, and types of cargo. The company plans to begin full-scale paid autonomous freight transport services in the second half of this year.

With this permit, autonomous vehicles can now operate on urban public roads before and after entering highways, making it possible to connect the entire transport route between logistics centers using autonomous driving. RideFlux considers the middle-mile freight transport market to be an area where autonomous driving technology will be rapidly commercialized, and aims to further accelerate the commercialization of Level 4 unmanned autonomous freight transport with this permit.

The domestic freight transport industry is experiencing a shortage of drivers and an aging workforce, and there are transport gaps on less desirable routes such as island and mountainous regions. RideFlux intends to address these issues through autonomous driving technology, contributing to improved transport efficiency and safety.

Park Junghi, CEO of RideFlux, stated, "This temporary permit for public road operation is an important milestone for the commercialization of Level 4 autonomous driving technology," adding, "We will continue to advance our technology and commercialization efforts to provide safe and reliable autonomous driving services."