The Gyeonggi Provincial Government announced that Korea’s first autonomous vehicle, dubbed the “Zero Shuttle,” will soon begin testing on the road in December after it passes the final stages of its safety inspection.

Requested by the provincial government and built by the Advanced Institutes of Convergence Technology over the last 3 years, the autonomous vehicle resembles a minibus and can carry 11 passengers. Zero Shuttle will run a 5.5 km loop from the entrance of Panygo Zero City to Pangyo Station, traveling at a speed of 25 km/h.

With Zero Shuttle’s battery having already passed safety inspections on December 1, the Korea Transportation Safety Authority is in the process of administering safety checks on the shuttle body interior/exterior, steering wheel, brake pedal and stability control mechanism, which will later be applied to all vehicles.

Once approved, Zero Shuttle will be granted a temporary driving permit and license plate.

The director of the Autonomous Driving Laboratory at the Advanced Institutes of Convergence Technology stated that, as long as no flaws are detected during the safety inspections, road tests should be possible before the end of the year.

Other relevant matters the provincial government has been focused on are the installation of a new set of traffic signals and publication of information pamphlets for riders. Through negotiations with the Korean National Police Agency, 12 traffic control boxes at intersections Zero Shuttle will pass through were replaced on November 17.

The information pamphlets provide details on riders’ rights and responsibilities, particularly in the event of an accident, and details on insurance policies. Following input from the Korea Insurance Development Institute, insurance products tailored for autonomous vehicles are currently being developed by Hyundai Marine & Fire Insurance Co., Ltd.