Hyundai at the 2018 Winter Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea, Hyundai will showcase self-driving cars. While Toyota will demonstrate its self-driving technology a the the 2020 Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo.
The conditions in Korea will be difficult for self-driving cars in because of winding roads, snow and high mountain inclines. The maps used will have a resolution with under 10cm of errors which Hyundai calls the “world’s best” maps. Hyundai’s autonomous technology uses LiDAR radar and cameras.
The 2018 Olympic games will begin on February 9, 2018. A new bullet train made by Hyundai Rotem that will take two hours from Incheon International Airport to Pyeongchang.
Hyundai agreed to provide 4,100 automobiles and financial sponsorship for the 2018 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games operations. The fleet of automobiles will be used for VIP protocol, athletes’ transportation and event operations.
Toyota also plans to to demonstrate eco-friendly choices at the 2020 games. Toyota is contracted as a worldwide partner of the International Olympic Committee and International Paralympic Committee. Toyota will work with the committees through 2024 to provide “sustainable mobility solutions.”
Ken Koibuchi, Toyota’s executive general manager in charge of autonomous driving, Toyota will display its automated systems on Toyota and Lexus at the Tokyo Summer Olympics. The area of the Odaiba waterfront in Tokyo is on reclaimed land with wide straght roads with little traffic, making it ideal for autonomous technology. Toyota hopes to offer autonomous driving on city streets by 2020 or later.
Koibuchi notes that LiDAR and laser scanners are costing less and will be deployed soon. He also stated that high definition mapping will also be required. He hopes that ll the roads of Japan will be mapped with high-definition in time for the 2020 Olympics.