Establishment of group autonomous driving test bed in Saemangeum
Recognizes the leading vehicle and maintains a safe distance from the vehicle behind
Chemtronics is supplying parts for vehicle communication solutions which is vehicle-to-everything (V2X) components to Hyundai AutoEver's Saemangeum autonomous driving test bed business. V2X is a core technology for smart cars and autonomous driving. Chemtronics is standing out in the industry with various orders with a focus on V2X as a new business.
Chemtronics will supply V2X to Hyundai AutoEver's autonomous driving road for commercial vehicles built on the Saemangeum seawall waterfront road. V2X is a key technology that overcomes the shortcomings of autonomous driving sensors that have a short recognition distance and responding to unexpected situations.
This project is being carried out as part of the 'Commercial Vehicle High-Speed Autonomous Driving Comprehensive Evaluation Facility Construction Service Project' ordered by the Institute of Automotive Convergence Technology.
According to the project, the Saemangeum waterfront road with an approximately 11km section will be built as a test bed for autonomous driving of commercial vehicles such as buses and trucks for the first time in Korea. An integrated control system will be also created.
The goal of the project is to make group autonomous driving of commercial vehicles possible on the Saemangeum waterfront road. Group driving refers to recognizing the leading vehicle and the rest of cars are driven while maintaining a safe distance and speed.
When this technology is introduced, the accident rate can be lowered and transportation efficiency can be improved. German commercial vehicle maker MAN conducted a group operation on a 145 km highway between Munich and Nuremberg in 2018. Volvo also teamed up with U.S. carrier FedEx to conduct group driving on U.S. highways.
Chemtronics supplied a V2X component solution optimized for group autonomous driving.
Chemtronics CEO Eung-soo Kim said, “The news of the gradual expansion of V2X business orders is the result of many years of investment. Chemtronics has applied V2X technology to Seoul and Pangyo which is the capital area, Sejong in the Chungcheong area, Daegu in the Yeongnam area and Jeju Island. We have also been expanded to the Saemangeum (Gunsan) area.”
Chemtronics, which has grown based on the chemical and electronics business for over 40 years, has been focusing on the new autonomous driving business since 2014. Chemtronics, a long-established electronic component company, is growing rapidly by actively fostering the V2X business based on chemical and electronic know-how.
From 2014, as a new growth engine for the company, they established an autonomous driving business research center and jumped into V2X development. In 2018, they supplied V2X to Pangyo Zero City autonomous driving and succeeded in demonstrating a technology that transmits data from a preceding vehicle to a following vehicle through vehicle wireless communication (WAVE).
CEO Kim said, “We will play a key role in advancing V2X technology through continuous technology development and further enhancing South Korea’s autonomous driving technology.”
By Staff Reporter So-ra Park (srpark@etnews.com)