– Autonomous a2z, ranked 13th in autonomous driving technology,reflects on the emergence of autonomous driving in 2017 and looks ahead to the PBV-centric trend in 2030.
– “The autonomous driving industry, which has seen slower progress, must actively pursue commercialization under relaxed regulations.”
– Autonomous a2z will commence mass production of autonomous vehicles, including ‘Project MS’ in early 2025 to enter the Korean B2B market
“I experienced a traffic accident at the end of last year, which left me in a condition where I can hardly move without crutches. However, even in this painful state, I came to Abu Dhabi with a sense of mission that my physical condition itself could convey the necessity of commercializing autonomous vehicles. It’s an honor to stand here after a long flight!”
This was what Minsang Yu, Chief Strategy Officer (CSO) of Autonomous a2z, said right after taking the stage with a burning passion at the ‘DRIFTx Talk’ held on the second day of the DRIFTx last month (local time).
On the 25th of last month, as the DRIFTx held at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi concluded its two-day schedule by presenting the future of sustainable mobility, Korea’s homegrown autonomous driving company Autonomous a2z envisioned the impending era of large-scale autonomous driving along with the company’s vision.
The global smart and autonomous vehicle market is expected to grow rapidly, reaching an estimated value of around $448.6 billion by 2035. Furthermore, this technology is bringing significant changes to urban mobility worldwide, transportation methods, urban design, and planning.
DRIFTx, encompassing air, land, and sea, emerged as a global exhibition showcasing the future of sustainable mobility based on smart technology and autonomy. Supported by the Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO) and the Smart and Autonomous Vehicle Industry (SAVI) cluster in Abu Dhabi, DRIFTx is leading innovative changes in all sectors, including advanced urban mobility, discussions, collaborations, and pioneering the handling of advanced information more than anyone else.
In particular, the ‘SAVI Cluster,’ an advanced technology hub established by the Abu Dhabi Investment Promotion Agency (ADIO), aims to explore and further develop the global potential of smart and autonomous vehicle technology. In line with this, DRIFTx also seeks to play an international platform role, promoting dialogue and cooperation among leaders and innovators from multinational organizations, governments, academia, and regulatory agencies worldwide.
Autonomous a2z, a specialized autonomous mobility platform company from Korea, attracted the attention of global visitors to the DRIFTx.
A2Z participated in the DRIFTx to sign a partnership agreement with Bayanat, a leading supplier of AI-based geospatial solutions in the UAE. For the first time in the world, it showcased a demonstration of remote-controlled autonomous driving from Hwaseong, Gyeonggi-do, to the Abu Dhabi Yas Marina Circuit, covering an approximate 7,000 km distance.
In particular, Minsang Yu, Chief Strategy Officer of Autonomous a2z, was the only Korean to participate in ‘DRIFTx Talk’ as a panelist and speaker during the two-day exhibition. He presented the history of commercializing autonomous driving challenges by leading global companies and startups since the emergence of autonomous driving technology, emphasizing the distinctiveness of a2z among them.
Chief Strategy Officer Yu emphasized a2z’s capabilities and potential, saying, “Founded in 2018 with the ambition to encompass autonomous vehicles from A to Z, a2z ranked 13th on the Global Autonomous Driving Leaderboard for 2023 announced by Guidehouse Insight, establishing itself as a leader in the Korean industry in just five years.”
Guidehouse Insight is a specialized research platform that has investigated and evaluated the world’s leading autonomous driving-related companies since 2017, proving its credibility. Autonomous a2z’s ranking in the comprehensive global autonomous driving technology ranking released by them is undoubtedly the top among Korean companies, and it is known that it received higher evaluations than its competitors, who have corporate values in the tens of billions of dollars in the ‘strategic score’ in particular.
As one of the leaders who has accumulated advanced experiences in autonomous driving both in the past and future, Chief Strategy Officer Yu evaluated, “The global interest in the concept of autonomous vehicles began around the time of CES 2017.” He pointed out that Google unveiled a concept car without pedals or a steering wheel just before that in 2016, triggering challenges from other finished car OEMs and technology-focused companies.
Subsequently, as an atmosphere of showcasing each other’s research and development achievements among latecomers prevailed, OEMs expected to open the way for commercializing autonomous driving emerged. However, Yu pointed out that these companies could have shown better results due to various regulations and the absence of systems.
He said, “Audi unveiled the A8 equipped with Level 3 technology, announcing mass production of autonomous vehicles since the end of 2017, but it ceased autonomous driving investment by 2018.” He also stated, “Following this, Honda also unveiled the Level 4 autonomous driving concept car NewV and planned to start mass production from 2020, but it only produced about 100 vehicles at Level 3 until 2021.”
In addition to these, he highlighted examples such as Waymo, a subsidiary of Google, which is currently only conducting test driving in three cities in the United States despite its initial mass production plans for Level 3, Argo AI, which was once valued at 1 trillion won and ranked fifth in the industry but eventually closed down, and Nuro, which attracted 1 trillion won in investments through autonomous driving vehicles for last-mile delivery but still has not achieved mass production, as representative cases illustrating the difficulties of the autonomous driving industry.
Regarding this, Chief Strategy Officer Yu said, “It has been five years since the international standard for Level 3 autonomous vehicles was established, but only two manufacturers, Honda and Mercedes-Benz, have received certification for Level 3 autonomous driving cars worldwide, and even they have failed to mass-produce them.” He explained, “Thus, the progress of commercializing Level 3 autonomous driving is very slow. It is a time when efforts to reflect on the reasons for this and find breakthroughs are necessary.”
Chief Strategy Officer Yu pointed out that the main reasons for the delay in commercializing autonomous driving are the uncertainty of legal responsibility and legislative obstacles. He noted, “Autonomous driving vehicles based on AI technology, such as urban air mobility (UAM) and robots, are expected to lead the future of mobility vision, but they are expected to face trials of strict regulations accompanying major innovations.”
Legislative authorities in various countries worldwide need help to establish related regulations due to the significant risks and potential technological scalability inherent in autonomous driving technology. In particular, the responsibility for accidents caused by autonomous driving vehicles has become a major controversy.
Moreover, Chief Strategy Officer Yu emphasized that to overcome these challenges and accelerate the commercialization of autonomous driving, it is necessary to focus on B2B transactions. He explained, “It is important to pay attention to B2B transactions, such as business alliances between companies, rather than aiming for immediate direct B2C transactions with end-users. It is necessary to establish a profitable business model that can withstand future changes in regulation and technologies by establishing B2B ecosystems, such as agreements with platform companies, which will become the cornerstone of the autonomous driving market.”
In line with this, a2z recently announced its commitment to accelerating the commercialization of autonomous vehicles by unveiling its plans to produce over 1,000 autonomous shuttle ‘Project MS’ units by 2030. This project, which aims to actively promote the commercialization of autonomous vehicles by pioneering the global autonomous driving market, has drawn attention from international companies and investors.
Project MS, showcased by Autonomous a2z at the DRIFTx, demonstrated remote-controlled autonomous driving from Hwaseong, Gyeonggi-do, to the Abu Dhabi Yas Marina Circuit, covering a distance of approximately 7,000km. This demonstration, recognized as the world’s first, attracted attention from global visitors to the show, affirming the technological prowess of Autonomous a2z.
Minsang Yu expressed his determination, saying, “We will continue to strive to overcome various challenges and actively promote the commercialization of autonomous vehicles in the global mobility industry. Through projects like Project MS, we will contribute to realizing a safer and more convenient future mobility society for all.”
DRIFTx, the first of its kind supported by the Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO) and Abu Dhabi’s Smart and Autonomous Vehicle Industry (SAVI) Cluster, is expected to soar as a global exhibition exploring the future of sustainable mobility based on smart technology and autonomy, covering all areas including air, land, and sea. The second DRIFTx will be held in Abu Dhabi in the first quarter of 2025.
