Autonomous a2z, a global self-driving company, said Thursday that it has surpassed 1 million kilometers in cumulative autonomous driving distance both domestically and overseas as of April. The cumulative passenger count for ROii, the company's in-house developed Level 4 autonomous shuttle, has also exceeded 10,000.
Autonomous a2z obtained its first temporary operation permit for an autonomous vehicle in 2018, reaching 200,000 kilometers of cumulative driving distance in 2022 and 500,000 kilometers in 2024. By surpassing 1 million kilometers, the company has once again set a new domestic record for the longest autonomous driving distance. The cumulative distance includes driving data secured across 13 cities and provinces in Korea, robotaxi pilot operations in Tokushima Prefecture, Japan, and shuttle operations for Grab employees in Singapore.
ROii is a Level 4 driverless autonomous shuttle developed in-house by Autonomous a2z with the goal of becoming the first commercialized model in Korea, with a domestic content ratio of 96%. It is designed as a fully driverless structure without a driver's seat or steering wheel. From the early development stage, redundancy functions have been applied, allowing it to respond reliably to unexpected situations such as sensor malfunctions or communication failures.
Building on this milestone, Autonomous a2z plans to further enhance the safety and operational reliability of its Level 4 autonomous driving technology. The company was recently selected for a large-scale autonomous driving demonstration project in Gwangju Metropolitan City led by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT). It is also expanding autonomous driving business opportunities in overseas markets including Singapore, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Japan, centered on ROii. The company plans to secure Level 4 performance certification between late 2026 and early 2027, after which it intends to begin full-scale supply of Level 4 autonomous vehicles to local governments, public institutions, and transportation operators, and to advance its operational models.
"This achievement signifies that a2z has demonstrated commercialization capabilities that go beyond mere technology validation, proving that our vehicles can operate reliably on actual roads with real passengers in real operating environments," Autonomous a2z CEO Han Ji-hyung said. "We deeply appreciate the cooperation and support from related agencies, including the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, and the Ministry of Science and ICT, which have provided much help so far." He added, "Through continuous technology development, we will expand Level 4 autonomous driving services to domestic and overseas markets centered on ROii, and build a mass production system."
