South Korean Autonomous Truck Startup Completes Standards

Seoul, South Korea - MARS AUTO has completed training in international safety standards for autonomous heavy trucks, the company said on Monday.

The training, administered by safety science company UL Solutions, covered three autonomous driving standards: functional safety (ISO 26262), safety of intended functionality (ISO 21448/SOTIF), and cybersecurity (ISO 21434), according to the company.

The Seoul-based company operates autonomous freight line-haul services using a camera-based artificial intelligence system called "MARS Pilot."

In November, MARS AUTO was selected as the lead institution for a government-backed project to develop commercialization technology for autonomous heavy-truck freight transport.

The initiative, led by South Korea's Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, involves 13 partner organizations and aims to achieve commercialization by 2027.

Representatives from companies in the consortium attended the training program to verify that the technical and operational systems meet international standards ahead of the planned commercialization of autonomous driving, the company said.

MARS AUTO said it established collaboration standards for middle-mile business-to-business autonomous driving, including requirements definition, verification, and operations.

The company worked with Hyundai Glovis and Lotte Global Logistics to review scenarios during autonomous driving transitions and establish response systems.

"The expansion of autonomous driving requires not only technology development but also systematic preparation at operational sites," Noh Je-kyung, vice president of MARS AUTO, said.

David Lee, APAC director at UL Solutions, said the training was significant because the autonomous heavy-truck market is growing rapidly, separate from the passenger-vehicle market.

UL Solutions has provided international standards-based training and verification for autonomous heavy truck operators in the United States and China.