Kia launches Korea's first remote-driving carshare pilot in Pangyo

Kia announced Friday it has launched Korea's first carsharing pilot using remote-driving technology, deploying its PV5 vehicle in Pangyo, Gyeonggi Province. The pilot began Thursday and will run through the end of the year.

Remote driving allows an operator at an external control center to maneuver and control a driverless vehicle via 4G or 5G wireless networks. Because it works with existing communications infrastructure and standard vehicles, the technology requires less investment than full autonomous driving and is drawing attention as a next-generation mobility solution capable of supporting a wide range of services.

Kia has been steadily advancing the technology through a series of pilots and partnerships. In April last year, the company received a regulatory sandbox exemption from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport for remote-driving demonstrations. That November, it formed a remote-driving consortium with Socar, KT Corp and autonomous driving startup SUM to run pilots in Jeju and Hwaseong. The Jeju demonstration marked the first time a domestic automaker successfully operated a remote-driven vehicle on a public road.

In July, Kia signed an MOU with KT Corp and SUM to commercialize remote-driving technology, with a target of launching a service before year-end. Kia said the current pilot is the fruit of that agreement and represents the first domestic case of validating remote-driving technology in a real service environment.

The pilot is being run by a consortium comprising Kia, SUM, Mobiops and the Korea Road Traffic Authority. Gyeonggi Province, KT Corp, Umos One, the Next-Generation Convergence Technology Research Institute and the Gyeonggi Automobile Rental Business Association are supporting the project as partner organizations. Kia is providing the PV5 vehicles and overseeing the project; SUM is developing the remote-driving solution; Mobiops is handling service operations; and the Korea Road Traffic Authority is assisting with regulatory review.

Over roughly three months, the consortium will offer a carsharing service using the PV5 Passenger — a mid-size purpose-built vehicle, or PBV — to employees of companies based at the Second Pangyo Techno Valley. Users book a vehicle through a dedicated app, and the car travels to the requested location without a driver on board. The user then takes the wheel, drives to their destination, parks and returns the vehicle; a remote-driving operator subsequently moves it back to the depot. For companies, the service reduces the burden of owning and managing a fleet while improving vehicle utilization and space efficiency. For users, it eliminates the need to travel to a designated pickup or drop-off point.

The consortium has also put safety measures in place. It built a triple-redundant communications network to handle signal degradation or outages, and established a multilayered safety management system that includes training for remote-driving operators and an emergency dispatch protocol. During the pilot, the consortium plans to verify the technology's stability and operational viability in a real-world setting, then use the data gathered to refine the system. The service scope will expand in 2027, accelerating the path to full commercialization of PV5-based remote-driving services.

"Remote-driving technology can be applied not only to carsharing but also to mobility support in areas with limited transportation infrastructure and to a range of everyday convenience services," a Kia official said. "Kia will continue to combine PBV and remote-driving technology to develop new mobility services."

Meanwhile, Kia recently co-hosted the "2026 R&D Partner Tech Day" with Hyundai Motor Company at Rolling Hills Hotel in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province.

The R&D Partner Tech Day recognizes suppliers that have achieved outstanding results in technology development and quality assurance, and strengthens collaboration through technical exchanges. The two automakers have held the event annually since 2006, making it a flagship program for joint R&D growth. This year's event featured 42 technologies developed by 37 partner companies, along with awards for five standout supplier technologies and presentations on new technical cases.