HL Klemove, an autonomous driving solutions company under HL Group, has formed a partnership with Autonomous AtoZ (hereinafter AtoZ), a company specializing in autonomous driving pilot operations. The goal is the joint development of a Level 4 (L4) “fully autonomous driving” system, in which a vehicle operates entirely on its own with no human intervention.

HL Group announced that HL Klemove and AtoZ held a “Strategic Partnership Agreement Ceremony for the Joint Development of Level 4 Autonomous Driving Technology” on the 7th at Cheonggye Plaza in Seoul. The ceremony was attended by HL Klemove President Lee Yoon-haeng, CTO Hong Dae-gun, and AtoZ President Han Ji-hyung and CTO Oh Young-chul, among other key officials from both sides. The Cheonggye Plaza area, where the event took place, is a government-designated autonomous driving specialized zone where AtoZ’s autonomous shuttle “ROii” is in actual operation.

The core of this cooperation is technology convergence. The plan is to integrate HL Klemove’s perception sensors, high-performance controller (HPC), and software technologies with AtoZ’s autonomous driving operational know-how accumulated over years in the field, thereby raising the level of fully autonomous driving technology.

The first area of focus is AI-based “end-to-end (E2E)” technology. End-to-end refers to a method in which AI handles the entire process—from the moment sensors such as cameras and radars perceive the surrounding environment, through route planning, to steering control—in an integrated manner from start to finish. In effect, a single AI system takes on the full sequence of seeing, judging, and driving, similar to a human.

HL Klemove already has a verified product lineup for the L2+ and L3 markets, which correspond to driver-assistance levels. L2+ covers functions such as maintaining lanes or automatically adjusting the distance from the vehicle ahead on highways, while L3 allows the driver to take hands off the wheel under specific conditions but still requires direct intervention in emergencies. Tesla’s FSD and Hyundai Motor’s HDA are considered to be at the L2+ level.

HL Klemove plans to use the sensor, controller, and software capabilities accumulated in this market as the foundation for the new collaboration. It intends to combine these with more than 973,000km of real-world driving data that AtoZ has collected on actual roads in Korea and overseas, thereby advancing its technology to L4, where a driver is not required at all. Over the long term, the company also aims to leverage this technology to expand its business into the global robotaxi market.

HL Klemove President Lee Yoon-haeng stated, “This collaboration will serve as a cornerstone for fully autonomous driving technology,” adding, “We will expand our business, which has focused on Level 2+, into the Level 4 robotaxi segment to create new growth opportunities.”

AtoZ is regarded as one of the companies with the most extensive track record in autonomous driving in Korea. Since 2019, its cumulative autonomous driving distance has reached 973,531km, and it is currently operating 81 autonomous shuttles in 14 autonomous driving pilot operation zones nationwide. With operational experience not only in Seoul, Sejong, and Incheon International Airport in Korea, but also in Japan, Singapore, and the UAE, the company is expected to provide practical technology verification data in this collaboration.

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