Hyundai Motor sets up future mobility lab in LA

Hyundai Motor Group Executive Vice President and Head of Open Innovation Strategy Yun Kyoung-lim poses with Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti at the LA Comotion 2019 ceremony held in LA, Thursday (local time). / Courtesy of Hyundai Motor Group

By Kwak Yeon-soo

Hyundai Motor has established a future mobility venture called Mocean Lab in Los Angeles as part of its initiative to create sustainable, connected platform, the company said Friday.

The Mocean Lab will provide mobility services in LA and expand its services to autonomous ridesharing, shuttling and personal mobility, according to the automaker.

With the latest move, Hyundai plans to integrate new mobility innovations, such as micro mobility and multi-modal transportation and realize "freedom in mobility."

"More and more customers, including LA citizens and tourists, will benefit from Mocean Lab as its service covers a larger area of the city and offers diverse mobility services," Hyundai Motor Group Executive Vice President and Head of Open Innovation Strategy Yun Kyoung-lim said.

Yun added that LA's large population, wide use of public transportation and commitment to mobility innovation made it possible for Hyundai to introduce the platform in LA.

Mocean Lab's free-floating service will be a part of the car-sharing pilot program offered by the Los Angeles Department of Transportation (LADOT) and Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LA METRO).

Hyundai will provide up to 300 vehicles for the pilot program, which is set to start at the end of 2019.

In addition, Mocean Lab will further expand its services beyond the car-sharing pilot program to urban traffic improvement during the much-anticipated LA 2028 Summer Olympics.

"The Mocean Lab will serve as a test bed for making Hyundai's initiatives into a reality in the era of MECA, an acronym for Mobility, Electrification, Connectivity and Autonomous Driving," a Hyundai Motor official said.

Meanwhile, Hyundai Motor Group has been actively investing in overseas future mobility companies. It invested in Indian cab-hailing company Ola in March this year and Southeast Asia's major taxi-hailing platform Grab last year. It also made a strategic investment in Migo, an American mobile app for on-demand rides and Australian car-sharing platform Car Next Door.

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