launcht Attendees of the PyeongChang Winter Olympics will have a chance to ride vehicles of the future, including shuttle buses powered by electricity and cars that drive themselves. Hyundai Motor Group, the country’s largest automaker, and the public utility Korea Electric Power Corporation, both official partners of the Games, are supplying eco-friendly cars and charging facilities for electric cars while promoting technology they have developed.
Hyundai Motor and Kia Motors are providing more than 4,000 vehicles including sedans, vans and buses to shuttle athletes, sports officials and spectators between venues at the Olympics. A good portion of them are relying on green power.
Hyundai is testing the model at the Olympics before putting it to wide release. The test course is a 7km route that includes curvy roads, roundabouts and intersections. In each session, a Hyundai engineer will occupy the driver’s seat in accordance with local regulations, but the car will largely drive on its own. Out of safety concerns, it will maintain speeds below 50 kilometers an hour. The test drive takes less than 15 minutes and is available for anyone who signs up at the Hyundai Pavilion near the PyeongChang Olympic Stadium or online.
