Kia launches remote-driving car-share pilot with PV5 EV — SkimNews
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- Kia launched a pilot remote-driving car-sharing service in Pangyo, Gyeonggi Province on Thursday using the PV5 electric van, running through the end of 2025, and calling it the first such service by a South Korean automaker.
- The PV5 pilot lets users reserve a van through a dedicated app; the vehicle drives itself to the pickup point without a driver, and a remote operator returns it to the garage over 4G or 5G after the user parks it.
- Kia secured a remote-driving regulatory sandbox exemption from South Korea's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport last April, then formed a Remote Driving Consortium with Socar, KT, and autonomous startup SUM in November 2025.
- Kia signed an MOU with KT and SUM in July to commercialize the technology, targeting a service launch within a year and broader expansion in 2027.
- The pilot consortium pairs Kia, SUM (remote-driving solution), Mobiops (operations), and the Korea Road Traffic Authority (regulatory review), with Gyeonggi Province, KT, UMOS ONE, and two local industry groups as supporting partners.
- A top commenter flagged that UK-based Fetch by Imperium Drive launched a similar remote-driven car-share service in 2023, putting Kia's 'first-of-its-kind' claim in context.
Why it matters: By letting fleets reposition themselves without drivers, Kia's PV5 pilot could cut car-sharing operating costs and reshape fleet economics — and the data gathered feeds directly into a planned 2027 commercial expansion with KT and SUM. The regulatory sandbox exemption also gives Kia a head start on scaling remote driving before competitors catch up in Korea.
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