Hyundai Mobis to test autonomous vehicle M.BILLY
The Hyundai Mobis M.BILLY autonomous vehicle is tested on the road. / Courtesy of Hyundai Mobis
By Jhoo Dong-chan
Hyundai Mobis is looking at the development of autonomous vehicle technology through conducting a global test drive with its latest self-driving vehicle, M.BILLY.
The auto parts maker is currently testing three cars from its self-driving vehicle development operation, and said it will expand its fleet to 10 cars by the end of the year. It will also increase the number of its researchers in related technologies by an annual 15 percent.
“We will conduct on-site tests to reach the Level 3 and Level 4 autonomous vehicle standards from the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) with the M.BILLY in Michigan this month,” Hyundai Mobis said in a press release Thursday. The SAE Level 3 means partial automation, while Level 4 means high automation.
M.BILLY is named after the auto parts maker's technology development vision “New Mobility Experience.” It symbolizes the firm's goal to become the world's top auto parts maker with differentiated technologies.
M.BILLY is equipped with the auto parts maker's latest technologies incorporated in the Kia Motors K5 sedan.
Hyundai Mobis said the test includes a preliminary function and safety assessment at the proving ground, and actual driving on streets. In 2016, the company won certification, called the M-late, from the state government to test its self-driving technologies on state streets.
Separate from its test in the United States, Hyundai Mobis added it aims to get similar approval in Korea and Germany to test M.BILLY. It expects to get approval in Korea this month, while winning certification in Germany in June.
“Currently, three M.BILLY vehicles are being tested in Korea, Germany and the U.S. Hyundai Mobis aims to test more than 10 cars for the project by the end of the year,” said Hwang Jae-ho, Hyundai Mobis director of DAS Engineering Group.
“We aim to commercially produce our own autonomous vehicle system that meets SAE Level 3 by 2022.”
M.BILLY features the auto parts maker's latest sensor technology. A total of 25 sensory devices are mounted on the model, which include one camera in the front, five radars, one lidar, 12 ultrasonic sensors and four surrounding view monitors.
Hyundai Mobis said it will also expand its R&D investment ratio to 10 percent of sales by 2021, focusing mainly on improving the firm's future car technologies. It currently has 600 related experts in its self-driving car division, and plans to increase this by 15 percent every year until 2021.